ain't it funny how time slips away...

Wow, I can hardly believe that an entire month (or more) just slipped by us! But we've been busy here at Cerulean marking things down- way down- for our massive end of summer sale. And packages are flying out the door filled with great deals! Here are a few of our favorite deals of the moment...

Gorgeous Sliced Agate Necklaces were $106, now $26.50!

Our Classic Pom Pom Blankets and Matta Pom Pom Scarves (above) NEVER go on sale... until now.

Mystique Sandals are now 50% off!

We've also been busy planning a trip for mid-October and are at a bit of a loss of where to go. Somewhere warm perhaps? It's been stinking hot here for months so I just dont know. So far we have narrowed it down to somewhere on this side of the globe- think North, South, and Central America. Somewhere a bit off the beaten path, too. Hiking in Peru? Cave diving in Panama? Exploring the ancient civilizations of the Yucatan? Or perhaps an urban-outing to BA? I'm looking for your tips here, folks. Send me any and all ideas...

In the meantime, I leave you with this gorgeous shot of the sunset over Mobile Bay- you couldn't make up these colors if you tried. 

on the move…

Planning and preparing for a trip is an enormous part of the fun. Reading guidebooks and reviews of restaurants and hotels, planning visits to out of the way spots, and of course, organizing your wardrobe and packing the essentials is an integral part of the travel process. The trip is rewarding from the moment you being to ponder the possibilities.

We’ve been pondering the many possibilities of the new luggage that arrived at our offices this week. Fabulous cotton canvas carry-ons and cosmetic cases in basket weave and ikat prints will let you schlep your belongings around the world in style. The bags have comfy shoulder straps, a big top zipper that opens wide to help you find your things, and perfect pockets to keep it all organized. The outside pockets are sized perfectly- one to hold your passport and plane tickets, the other to old magazines and books for the long journey. I wouldn’t have designed it any differently.These bags leave us inspired and dreaming of a vacation faraway, and so after surfing away our lunch break on our favorite site for travel inspiration, Conde Nast Traveler, we came across a Top 20 List of Journey’s of a Lifetime. I can’t imagine anything better! Below are our top three, pulled straight from their list, and we are packing our bags in our heads already…

Pan American Highway , From North To South America
The Pan-American Highway is a network of interconnecting roads stretching some 22,500km, as the condor flies, from north of the Arctic Circle down to the tip of Chile through a vast range of landscapes and climates. You can cover the North and Central American section from Anchorage to Panama City in 16 weeks, or travel the entire journey from Anchorage to Ushuaia in 25 weeks (including a short flight from Panama to Quito). The list of highlights is almost as long as the journey itself and includes National Parks (Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Zion), ancient sights ( Machu Picchu, Tulum, Chichén Itzá) and many cultures (Navajo, Mayan, Aztec and Inca). Safety might be a concern in some parts, and various companies lead trips with groups, but we love the idea of renting a Land Cruiser and heading off on this adventure!

Trans Sahara Journey, Africa
Journey into the awe-inspiring wilderness of the largest desert and one of the hottest places on earth on a five-week camping safari through the Western Sahara from Morocco to Senegal, organised by adventure and discovery holiday specialist Guerba (01373 826611; www.guerba.com). Starting in Casablanca, the route takes in the cities of Rabat and Fès (including a tour of the Roman ruins at Volubilis), and, after a camel trek into the desert at Merzouga, crosses the High Atlas past Todra Gorge to Marrakech. The remaining weeks are spent following the Atlantic Ocean coast southwards, through the vast expanse of desert and the Banc d'Arguin National Park, rejoining Tarmac roads beyond Nouakchott. At Dakar, the final stopping point, there is an excursion to the former slave-trading centre on Goree Island. The thought of all the marketplaces full of leather goods and jewels, plus the image of us riding a camel, have us entranced by the possibilities!

Glacier Express, Switzerland
The Glacier Express runs between St Moritz and Zermatt, a journey that takes about seven to eight hours along a narrow-gauge track through unsurpassed Alpine scenery. Highlights include the Albula Pass valley where the Express climbs quickly, reaching the village of Bergün and looping through superbly engineered tunnels to Preda, the Oberalp Pass (where you wind down a valley from 1,525 metres), and the climb to Zermatt with the Matterhorn in view. We are hoping to go in the winter to see the snow.

the best part of traveling is coming home...

While we spend our time in pursuit of travel, the holidays simply make you want to go home. Nothing gets you in the holiday spirit like a crackling fire, gusty cold winds outside, and something warm and full of spice in the oven. We spent our Thanksgiving Holiday with family on the coast, and I am always amazed at how empty the summer homes are during the colder months. Why do these people who frequent their homes all summer long skip out on one of the most beautiful times of the year at the beach? Walks on the beach are more enjoyable when there is no one around and the waves are crashing under a gray sky. Fires made of driftwood crackle with a warm glow and bonfires on the beach welcome family and friends around cocktails and grilled food.

Of course travel is always the hot topic of conversation when family gathers, and I love hearing people recount their recent adventures. It inspires me to try new places, see new things, and catch a glimpse of the times they’ve had. After a few tales from my uncle of float plane take-offs that were near misses, or heard the spices of the middle-east described in delicious detail, or learned the proper way to prepare conch fritters when there isn’t a full kitchen in sight, I am motivated again to head off on an adventure.

Stay tuned for where it will lead…

last minute getaway...

Spring is upon us and we all have the itch to getaway. If you’re looking for a last minute trip, but don’t want your average experience, visit Estancia Huechahue (pronounced way-cha-way) in Argentina. But you better hurry up- they close for the season in April.

A working cattle ranch in Patagonia, Huechahue is the perfect place to have that authentic gaucho experience. Four generations of family have owned this self-sufficient working cattle ranch and oasis in the middle of the Patagonian Steppe. This is not a place for tourists looking to ride for an hour- it’s a real, working cattle ranch, and you get to go along for the ride.

This rugged and wild retreat offers, obviously, horse back riding, fly fishing for wild brown and rainbow trout, relaxing walks, bird watching, pool and tennis, and a Jack Nichlaus golf course just 45 minutes drive away. The best thing is to take part in an authentic cattle drive, offered just a few times a year when the seasons change and the herds need to be moved. (no riding experience necessary, but you will get more out of the trip if you’ve at least done a bit…)

We love it for the rugged glamour, the gauchos in their berets and leather chaps, the intense aroma of meat cooking over an open pit asado style, and the complete peace and quiet.

One more reason to love it, as if you needed another reason- Huechahue is the epitome of genuine sustainability. They not only have a water driven turbine, home grown produce, and orchards galore, but they also plants all their own trees to use for firewood for heating and hot water, making the Estancia essentially carbon neutral. They implement natural grazing habits for their herds, and never use pesticides or fertilizer for the produce. They even choose riding trails in areas with soil stability- talk about going the extra mile. Huechahue says their sustainability rests not just on a love for the land, but on years of necessity due to the remote location! Call it accidental eco-tourism.

Visit their website to learn more about what they offer, and be sure to pack all your Cerulean gear- strappy leather thongs, sumptuous scarves, big totebags and exotic jewelry perfect for the jaunt southward.
http://www.huechahue.com/

fashion week, nyc...

Just back from a week in New York City, right in the midst of fashion week. The whole city was buzzing with catwalks, supermodels, beautiful clothing, celebrities sitting sideline, paparazzi, and black town cars full of ladies who lunch, fashion editors and buyers from all over the world. A real whirlwind. Cerulean was on it’s own mission to find something fabulous, the next wonderful little things for the pages of our website and catalog. While the goal was to find the shoes, clothing and accessories we will all be panting over this fall, and order up a few for our darling customers, we couldn’t help but pick up some great jewelry at amazing prices for all our fashionistas to wear right now. Shopping entire seasons in advance looses a bit of the instant gratification, so we found that fulfillment in the form of enamel bangles, coral and turquoise (over which we are always obsessed), dangly little earrings and more. And its all available on the web right now. The best news from New York this trip? Our amazing friends who import sumptuous fabrics from overseas sold us just a few yards of luxurious colored silk. Coming soon to Cerulean- a limited group of dresses that will be sure to set off that long Kenneth Jay Lane necklace you’re eyeing, or those silver leather sandals that will be perfect this Spring. Think dresses that will be chic and simple, can be dressy and casual at the same time. Hold your breath, we’ll release them soon…

places in southern waters...

While it stays chilly in many parts of the country (although less so around here this week…), the lucky few are enjoying warm sandy beaches and some sort of cocktail in places a bit closer to the equator. Two such lucky souls stopped by our place this week in route to southern waters. An old friend of the family and his adorable wife stopped into our quiet coastal town for some much needed engine repairs on their Cessna before making the leap across open waters to Long Island, one of the eastern most islands of the Caribbean.

What a pleasure to pass an evening over a long dinner, some Pimm’s cups, and a fire in the fireplace, with people who truly live the Cerulean philosophy, who spend every moment trying to see the world and experience new cultures. Having spent the last few months walking across England, staying incognito in the old quarter of some Mexican beach town, and skipping across the gulf to a port off the coast of Venezuela, our friends now find themselves heading to a port of call where pirates once roamed (and a few dope smugglers in the eighties…), but now some old salty dog rules the roost at the local marina.

A Cessna is a small plane, and thus luggage must be too, which goes completely against the Cerulean philosophy (which entails packing everything one might need for any occasion, including a ball gown in case a modern day James Bond invites you to an intimate black tie dinner aboard some yacht a’la Aristotle Onassis… it could happen). However, when circumstances require that you pack light, the Caribbean is the ONLY place to be heading. A few of Cerulean’s pareos, one good sunhat, the perfect thong sandal, and some breezy cotton. Its all you really need.

Sadly, we had to send our friends on their way without any of the above, as we are not quite ready to open our doors. They invited us to jump in the back of the plane and join them for a long weekend of sun and mai tai’s, but alas, there are beautiful Cerulean goods arriving daily to our offices, and we stayed to await the pieces you will take on your next vacation. Stay tuned for our grand opening…

Below is an image of my friends Caribbean getaway... Long Island itself, and the glorious waters off its coast...

san miguel de allende...

The four words on everyone’s lips lately seems to be San Miguel de Allende, and so my curiosity has made me do a little research and bring it out to you.

San Miguel de Allende (and that’s pronounced “a-yen-day” for all of those linguistically challenged) was named a national historic monument in 1926 by the Mexican government, before the US had caught on to the concept of preserving all that is amazing and historical. San Miguel sits high in the mountains and has a year round perfect climate. There is no off season, no bad time to go. With a perfect climate, a far away feel but only a few hours flight, and a dollar that buys a lot, it’s a great spot to unwind from the stress of our everyday, boring lives.

The altitude brings only slightly chilly nights, for which an exotic, silk pareo is a must for your bare shoulders. (click here to shop the perfect outfit for San Miguel) We are planning our own trip soon to check out the handmade peasant shoes that everyone talks about that can only be bought in San Miguel. Nothing will bring me to a port of call faster than the promise of shoes….

A page from designer Virginia Johnson's sketch book...

viva espana...

We’ve recently come back from a stay in Madrid, and I have to say, I don’t know why people so often pick Barcelona over the two when visiting Espana! Madrid is cosmopolitan, exciting, and full of good food and drink. Here is the key to enjoying Madrid- the great secret no one knows that is guaranteed to make you fall into life as a Madrileno …. don’t bother adjusting to the time difference. That’s right, arrive jet lagged, go right to bed, and throw your mother’s advice out the window. Its simple.. real Madrilenos wake up and have a quick cup of coffee on their way out the door, nothing more. By about 11 am, they are starved and they break for large snack (meal number one of the day). Meanwhile, stylish American girl arrived at Barajas airport about 8 am, slipped into a waiting car in the hopes that no one saw the bags under her eyes from 8 hours in coach (we can’t all fly first), checked into a hotel and went straight to bed. Waking up around 11 am, she’s rested and ready for a meal, so she joins the Madrilenos for breakfast! Its perfect. The day continues with sight seeing, shopping, or lounging in a café. Lunch is served at 3 pm, the largest meal of a Spaniards day, and dinner follows at 10 pm or later. The later you dine in Madrid, the more chic the traveler. You haven’t bothered to adjust to the time, but somehow it has all seemed to fit together perfectly.

traveling a bit closer to home...

In between jaunts to exotic locales, between buying trips to marketplaces in far flung places, it is sometimes necessary to do some traveling a bit closer to home. It is often these trips that prove the most enjoyable, however surprising you may find it to be blown away only a few hours distance from your boring, old home.

With this in mind, I recently skipped down to New Orleans for a weekend getaway. At this point I have to comment on a phrase I have two often heard over the last two years when someone was discussing the current state of affairs of New Orleans: We should wait to go visit when things get settled down from Katrina. I firmly believe that New Orleans needs our tourist dollars now, more than ever. Go to the Big Easy and spend, spend, spend people!

Well, I certainly gave them my fair share of my measly checking account this past weekend, but it was well worth it. The shopping, the cafés, the oak trees, the architecture… the FOOD. New Orleans food will blow you away time after time. When you are next in the area, try out my favorite poboy hole-in-the-wall in uptown New Orleans. You have undoubtedly never driven by this low-slung locals joint where “Aunt Dot” has been serving up amazing poboys for almost 70 years! (I still haven’t figured the math on that one) You stand in line behind a dozen locals at the counter, behind which three ladies are crammed between a fryer and a grill slapping together fried shrimp and fried oyster poboys. You take a step backwards to allow yet another local in the door and crash into the five foot long paper bags filled with fresh French bread that was delivered early that morning.

Order your poboy “dressed” and you know the fixings will be just right. Grab a seat (if you can find one) in this cramped room and be sure to catch a glimpse of Dot’s living room when the door at the back of the room swings open, then move to the bar for a Pabst Blue Ribbon and a bag a Zapps.

New Orleans heaven. If you can find the place, find a seat, and figure out how to maneuver the line of locals, you are in for a real treat! Whew!