Talking Tiger Lily's with Samantha Knapp

Destination Design District

I am thrilled to pass along the scoop on this year’s At Home Design District! Thursday night, join me in downtown Greenwich as I stomp around with a camera crew catching all the best and brightest in local design resources.

Plus I am also going to try to get my voice recorder working to gather sound-bites for Talking Tigerlily’s!

Hope to see you all there!

XO

SK

VISIT:

Metropolitan Showtime Showhouse

Tribeca he open houses run

Sept. 12 to Oct. 18.

Tickets cost $20, with all proceeds benefitting Housing Works, a nonprofit that works to end AIDS and homelessness

TALK TO TIGER LILY’S:

We always love when guests sound off and dish on the topics we think are important. Want us to dish on a topic we haven’t yet covered? We want you to share your ideas with us. You can come by the store 241 East Putnam Avenue in Cos Cob CT across from the Cos Cob school and let us know what you want to hear…or we can simply answer your questions in person. You can also contact us through our website tigerlilysgreenwich.com or blog talkingtigerlilys.wordpress.com. All the info from this show in on our blog

WHY NOT SPLURGE?

If you’ve been saving all your pennies for one amazing splurge, cash in those coins for a few bucks and head to Splurge Unique Gifts, Home Decor and Jewelry on East Putnam Avenue.  Splurge specializes in unique gifts, home decorative accessories and handcrafted jewelry.  There is also a unique collection of baby gifts and men’s gifts.

Right now the small eclectic space is featuring new Italian pottery from Mezzaluna. The price point can’t be beat with pieces starting at $30.00 and ranging up to $125.00 per piece. The collection is a taste of Italy without the da Vinci prices. Also on store shelves, Julia Knight serving pieces.  These are handcrafted using colored enamel with crushed mother of pearl on aluminum.  Some pieces feature hand inlaid mother of pearl.  Prices $16.50 – $250

Splurge is the go to place for gifts. As Sonia Malloy explains it the store has received Best Hostess Gifts in Greenwich Magazine’s Best of the Gold Coast, and small business of the year from the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Sonia Sotire Malloy
SPLURGE
Unique Gifts, Home Decor and Jewelry
19A East Putnam Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830

Talking Tigerlily’s 9-15

Resource List

STARK SALE:

Stark’s yearly fall cleaning brings the bargain to you! It is one of those unique moments when you actually see something fantastic at a price that won’t break the bank! Good luck with the goods and bring them into Tigerlily’s We can help you create beautiful draperies and upholster oldies but goodies!

THE NANZ COMPANY:

Sean Lodge called into Talking Tigerlily’s on WGCH to bring us the best and boldest in door hardware. Offering both traditional and modern designs for a wide range of interiors has pushed The Nanz Company to the forefront of the industry for builders, architects and homeowner looking for creative customization and a high level of detail. The Nanz Company is renowned for its clean interpretation of  classic forms.

CONTACT:

The Nanz Company
212 367 7000 ext 255
212 367 7375 fax
slodge@nanz.com
www.nanz.com

REMAINS LIGHTING:

What started 13-years ago in a loft in Chelsea has made its way to Greenwich, CT. Remains Lighting on Putnam Avenue has curated collection of architectural antiques with local availability.  In addition to the collection of beautifully restored vintage fixtures, it has grown into an exclusive collection of custom lighting and mirrors. Each piece is sustainably manufactured in Remains own facility in New York City, using a combination of cutting edge technology and hand finishing techniques.

CONTACT:

REMAINS LIGHTING

44 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830

T: 203.629.1000 F: 203.629.1050

E: greenwich@remains.com

SPLURGE:

The newest name in unique gifts and home décor is located at 19A East Putnam Avenue in a quaint brick storefront. SPLURGE offers an eclectic assortment of one-of-a kind gifts and many handmade works of art. From lovely hostess to exquisite wedding gifts, hand crafted jewelry and many beautiful items to accessorize the home, SPLURGE is an exciting addition to its neighboring upscale furniture and design shops.

CONTACT:

19A East Putnam Avenue
Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
T. 203-869-7600
F. 203-869-9700

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SHOW WRAP

• We always love when guests sound off and dish on the topics we think are important. Want us to dish on a topic we haven’t yet covered? We want you to share your ideas with us. You can come by the store 241 East Putnam Avenue in Cos Cob CT across from the Cos Cob school and let us know what you want to hear…or we can simply answer your questions in person. You can also contact us through our website tigerlilysgreenwich.com or blog talkingtigerlilys.wordpress.com. All the info from this show in on our blog.

TEASE NEXT WEEK:

• Inside the Metropolitan Home showtime showhouse with magazine editor Samantha Nestor.

Poor Little Rich Girl

I am a poor little rich girl. It is one of those labels that results from living in an affluent area, loving all the opportunities and purchases that comes along with having the best of the best at your fingertips with a salary that doesn’t match my tastes. Hence I sometimes red-line!

I once thought I was alone on an island in a sea of mismanaged bank statements with only a paper trail courtesy of Bank Of America leading to my whereabouts somewhere between balance zero and fat fines. That is until The New York Times’ Ron Leiber and Andrew Martin docked a boat right on my island with their article, Overspending on Debit Cards Is a Boon for Banks.

Things I am: creative, artistic, driven, magnet to driving infractions, occasional consumer, recovering shopaholic. Things I am not: an accountant, grammar buff, money manager, number cruncher. My approach to banking until TODAY and I don’t recommend this route to anyone is to carry on my merry way with my debit card as long as it is approved. It seemed pretty simple, if the money was there, the card would approve, if the money was not, it would decline.

And so it was, that the extra-value meal which I do guilty order on occasion ended up costing as much as five-star brunch as my card approved on a red-lined bank account. This happened more then once throwing my account deep into the negative. Imagine the distance to the center of the earth and then you begin to get an idea of where zero on the scale is and where my negative balance positioned my account.

Leiber & Martin report: “Banks market it as overdraft protection, and the fees it generates have become an important source of income for the banking industry at a time of big losses in other operations. This year alone, banks are expected to bring in $27 billion by covering overdrafts on checking accounts, typically on debit card purchases or checks that exceed a customer’s balance. In fact, banks now make more covering overdrafts than they do on penalty fees from credit cards.”

Moreover, the journalist describe the bankers defending themselves by saying ”they are merely charging a fee for a convenience that protects consumers from embarrassment, like having a debit card rejected on a dinner date. Ultimately, they add, consumers have responsibility for their own finances.”

Thanks, I think I will take the embarrassment so that my account and my mail box don’t flood me stranded on debt island! I may be have fancy tastes but certainly not when it comes to Happy Meals! ###

The Talk At Tiger Lily’s

COPPER SQUARE HOTEL:

The Talk At Tiger Lily’s this week has almost been silenced with Betsy Knapp channeling her Ingrid Bergman on a tour of Casablanca, Morocco.  Not to be outdone by my mom and Ying to my Yang on the radio show, I did a little traveling myself with a visit to the famed Cooper Square Hotel.

The space scales two difference motifs. A  modern crisp edge balances a traditional comforting library  in the upstairs bar. Govind Armstrong’s newest Table 8 takes center stage at Cooper Square. Foodies of course know, the kitchen can accommodate bigger parties from the famed chef known for California style incorporating fresh ingredients.

The lounge as  is compete with leather sofas and shelves over six-thousand books from “Housing Works,” the city’s hottest destination for the thriftier home owner, looking to repurpose old furnishings in new ways. I love that in a space with so much style, the books remind us that what is old can be new again!

AT HOME DESIGN DISTRICT:

New York isn’t the only place for design inspiration. This fall, atHome Magazine is again bringing together top interior designers, well-heeled homeowners and the stores they love for the ultimate block party! Design District is open to the public and will extend from Putnam Avenue, down Greenwich Avenue and through to Arch Street on Thursday, September 24, from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
At Home editor, Kate Hogan explained on Talking Tigerlily’s the event will include 17 high-end stores and businesses many of which focus on home design, lighting, real estate and art.  It is an amazing chance as she dished to meet some of the biggest local designers and grab their ear about projects on your home to do list.

Throughout the evening, participating stores will be featuring designer presentations, book signings, giveaways and more! Shop ’til you drop with cocktails & hors d’oeuvres provided all evening long. A Grand Prize Drawing of a weekend stay at the Stone House, on the water luxury suites hotel in Little Compton, RI. will be open to all event attendees, just pick up your “passport” at any of the participating stores.

Mark your calendar for September 24th and next Tuesday when the At Home Design District team dishes the top ten ways to live better at home!  That’s on Talking Tigerlily’s Tuesday morning 9:30-10:00AM.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

mofflymedia.com

PARTY MIX NYC:

Starting with small collection of records at the high school parties with fellow Brunswick classmates to dee-yaying at some of the hottest venues in New York City, Christopher Ford has risen in popularity with his sensibilities and eclectic taste in music to become a highly sought spin-master. His company, Christopher Ford’s Party Mix™ has been providing great music, sound, theatrical lighting and FX for every occasion for almost a quarter of a century.

As for relaxing at home, Chris offered the below play list:

Christopher Ford’s Tigerlilly 10
1. Duffy – Stepping Stone
2. Dionne Warwick – Walk On By
3. Nouvelle Vague – I Melt With You
4. Monique Kessous – Fool On The Hill
5. Flight Of The Conchords – Foux du Fafa
6. Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass – Whipped Cream (Anthony Marinelli remix)
7. Richard Cheese – Bust A Move
8. Estelle – Pretty Please
9. Thievery Corporation – Lebanese Blonde
10. James Hunter – I’ll Walk Away
Bonus Track – The Sandals – Theme From The Endless Summer

GUEST CONTACT:
Christopher Ford
partymixnyc@aol.com

CONTACT US:
We always love when guests sound off and dish on the topics we think are important. Want us to dish on a topic we haven’t yet covered? We want you to share your ideas with us. You can come by the store 241 East Putnam Avenue in Cos Cob CT across from the Cos Cob school and let us know what you want to hear…or we can simply answer your questions in person. You can also contact us through our website tigerlilysgreenwich.com or blog talkingtigerlilys.wordpress.com. All the info from this show in on our blog.

Behold a citation for talking on the phone while driving. Before you rush to judgement, please allow me to set the stage. A handful of parking tickets already in hand, I won’t argue the merits of my skills behind the wheel. The ticket relates to a Saturday afternoon in July. I had wrapped up what was turning out to be a very difficult installation of a Tiger Lily’s Lounge for Beach Ball. Beach Ball is the most spectacular fundraiser for the protection and conversation of Greenwich Point. It is a worthy cause that I support by providing a complementary lounge. On leaving the beach I received an important event related logistics phone call as I drove slowly along summer jammed Sound Beach in Old Greenwich.

For those who don’t know the operation at Tiger Lily’s intimately, let it be known, we have at our disposable a extended commercial van behind the wheel of which this petite blogger found herself on this offending cloud covered Saturday. I picked up the phone as I passed the fire department which tends to be a convenient post for local law enforcement awaiting infractions. The eyes of the law were on me, as I attempted to juggle the wheel and the phone. In truth, I was in the process of pulling over seconds after I picked up, recognizing at that moment the impossible task and danger of driving and talking on the phone The impending blue lights of the patrol vehicle confirmed I was too late. Despite my attempt to explain to the officer that I had a momentary lapse of the road rules, I was issued a monetary citation.

I have decided to appeal. I have not lost “cite” of the importance of safety behind the wheel and support Connecticut being among the 18 states and the District Of Columbia to enact laws strict enough to include a ban on hand-held cell phone use and texting while driving. There has never been a greater concern to call-it quits on the phone.

1. On August 19th the Washington Post offered data that estimates the tab for cell phone usage: 342,000 auto accident injuries and $43 billion each year in property damage, lost wages, medical bills and fatalities.
statistics are staggering.

2. In July 2009 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released a study showing that the risk of drivers texting while driving is far greater than previous estimates research and far exceeds the hazards associated with other driving distractions.

My appeal is empirical. It is drawn from the wise words of Thomas Huxley. Huxley, famously once referred to “A beautiful theory, killed by a nasty, ugly, little fact.” Call America a cell phone nation. It is an instinct, to pick up a ringing phone from the most risky situations of driving cars or operating other machinery to the trivial situations of disrupting the peace in theaters or restaurants.

In my case, my momentary oversight of a very important law was punished by law. However, I would like to think there are exceptions to every rule. I did try to immediately right a wrong, I hope a judge will understand the moment clearer then the officer writing the ticket. I ask for the checkered flag here and the chance to drive-on by. If not, the only law upheld here will be one of Murphy’s Laws. It’s been said no good deed goes unpunished!

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