This week, I attended a wake. It was the eighth time I attended this particular wake. My friend Ellen holds it on the last day of school. We gather at 1:00 on her patio. Some of us wear funeral black. We mourn the end of school and the beginning of dog days spent in the company of our darling angels. Yes, we are bad moms. But we are bad moms together. Our bad-momishness is enough of a thread to tie us together for an afternoon of grapefruit gimlets. 

That's how the best parties happen. You take a common thread and transform it into a luscious party bow that wraps around a bunch of people and ta-da! 

Ellen served her grapefruit gimlets in vintage glassware. She knows that alcoholic beverages taste better in glasses that have been "seasoned" by drinkers of yore. 

When Ellen lived across the street from the elementary school, we knew the party was over when we saw the flag being lowered by the principal and heard the buses rumble out of the parking lot. Another school year evaporated into the sunny sky as we prepared to man the ramparts of summer vacation.  

After Ellen's, I came home and added a new collection of vintage drinkware and accessories to Finder Not Keeper. It's called Rum Punch Party Kit and it contains over thirty pieces -- all the ingredients needed for one hot summer shindig. No need to wear black. 

My friend Ellen is a top drawer hostess. If you want to keep reading about women who excel at the domestic arts, here's an old post from last summer about Martha Stewart. Did you know she's been hit by lightning three times? I think she rocks. Snoop Dog and Reddit agree.   

Next week, I'll be posting to-die-for images of a remarkable dining room where the owner has incorporated her beloved father's collection of books. Don't miss it! Subscribe here: