All the Pretty Horses

We love it when art meets awareness.

Two beautiful, meaningful roads intersecting.

UNWANTED PROJECT connects people through photography and goods to raise awareness about the rescue of American horses from abuse by the racing and horse show industries, meat producers and even pharmaceutical organizations. A percentage of sales is donated to rescues like Cracker Box Palace Animal Haven in Alton, NY.

Stunning limited edition prints document 'unwanted' horses, capturing the beauty and spirit of these incredible animals. The stories and rescues are moving and the imagery of these gentle creatures is full of light, heart and soul.

We especially love these silk scarves by pAra - printed images of rescued horses on textured Chiffon, which are perfect as a sarong for the beach or around your neck for Fall. Each purchase feeds a rescued horse for 2 weeks.

All images by Unwanted Project

A Day of Shopping in Austin, Texas

On a beautiful Fall day we decided to check out some shops in Austin. While there aren't many mainstream clothing stores in town, Austin has unique, independently owned boutiques and terrific vintage stores. After a leisurely brunch at the Elizabeth Street Cafe we headed over to Friends & Neighbors, a fantastic concept shop which opened earlier this year.

Jill at Friends & Neighbors

Co-owner Jill Bradshaw, whom I knew from working in trend forecasting in NYC, has incredible style so I was excited to check out Friends & Neighbors!

This charming boutique is a collaboration that brings together tastemakers in fashion, food, art, and design. Jill started Friends & Neighbors along with Greg Mathews and Jade Place Mathews of Austin’s Hillside Farmacy and Brooklyn’s El Diablo Tacos at Union Pool. The store is set in a historic east Austin home where guests can shop, hang out, and meet friends for coffee or a glass of wine. 

The merchandise is a mix of vintage, emerging designers and established brands, unique to the Austin area. The store is laid out as if it was someone's home, with a number of rooms, each with different themes. The living room features vintage clothing, along with jewelry, accessories and home goods, and the bathroom showcases soap, beauty, products, and linens. The bedroom has a boudoir feel, with bold colors and patterns and fun lingerie.

The kitchen carries Stumptown coffee and a curated mix of artisanal snacks, wines, beers, and juices for enjoying in the cozy backyard or to take to go. 

These fabulous hand painted platforms were a great find!

They recently added a children's room, with kids' clothes that match the funky aesthetic of the shop. We loved the leopard sweatshirt! Another thing I really love about Friends & Neighbors is how they offer an onsite tailor to get the perfect fit with their vintage clothes!

A colorful outfit at Feathers

After Friends & Neighbors, we stopped by a classic Austin vintage store - Feathers, which has been an Austin favorite since they opened in 2005.

Feathers is beautifully merchandised, with everything laid out in bold, color coordinated sections - making it easy to find a perfect vintage piece. They also carry an array of artisan jewelry.

Peggy searching for treasures at Feathers

Our last stop was to a one-day pop up shop called Feliz, held at the Palm Door event space. The packed event featured a select group of independent artists and designers. 

One of our favorites was Christy Curcuru's collection called Growing. She makes some incredible, intricate beaded necklaces. 

Colorful and playful necklaces from Growing

Teresa Robinson's Tiro Tiro jewelry line was another highlight! Inspired by traditional craft practices, Teresa's work is simple yet refined. 

Tiro Tiro's designs

Shop our favorites:

Friends & Neighbors

Feathers

Growing

Tiro Tiro

A Mediterranean Oasis: Southern Corsica

We can't believe it's already November! Time for a flashback to some warm weather in one of my favorite spots - Corsica! An island off the South of France, Corsica was a real highlight of my time in Europe this past Summer. 

One of the best parts of the trip were the incredible hotels we visited. On the left, we visited Hotel Version Maquis in Bonifacio, which featured some breathtaking views of the country side with the sea in the distance. In Porto Vecchio, on the right, we stayed at Private Hotel, which was located up in the hills overlooking the port. The gardens at Private Hotel were truly beautiful and the hills themselves were teeming with colorful wild flowers. While each hotel had its own unique aesthetic, both were remarkable, featuring stunning views and serene nature!

The beach in Corsica is something to behold!

The colors of the water, the sand and the sky are dreamlike - it is no wonder that their beach is consistently voted one of the best in the world! 

Unlike the South of France, which although beautiful is always overrun in the summer, Corisca has a low key yet exclusive vibe with stylish vacationers looking to avoid the crowds.

The cuisine in Corsica is inspired by both French and Italian tradition and has a unique Mediterranean flavor. From small road-side cafes to bistros in town, everywhere we went featured fresh, local ingredients. For the most part, Corsica is relatively free of the tourist-trap type restaurants that plague a lot of France. A real highlight was La Table de Nathalie in Porto Vecchio, certainly not a place to miss! With a rotating menu, hand written daily on a chalk board, Nathalie's restaurant is worth repeat visits if you have time.

We loved browsing the upscale boutiques and couldn't help admiring the cork shoes in a local shop which carried handmade cork shoes in all sizes, including for infants!

The view from the infinity pool at Hotel Version Maquis