Travels

Well I have had a whirlwind couple of weeks... Very exciting happenings for me. I attended Sourcing At MAGIC and had a great time, as usual. My co-worker, Lauren, and I flew to Las Vegas on a very, very early Monday morning flight and spent two days walking the huge assemblage of shows that make up Sourcing At MAGIC. I got home late on Tuesday evening, then spent the next three work days putting the finishing touches on a trend presentation I was giving in Austin, Texas, for our ceramic friends at CCSA. I know that most people HATE to talk in front of crowds, but I actually LOVE it! I love talking about trends and the bigger story behind them. I didn't take a lot of pictures in Austin because my trip was so fast, but here are a few I can share:

I picked up my suitcase at this guitar laden baggage terminal. Love it!

See my name at the bottom of this sign? I had to snap a picture.

 Laura and I playing in some other vendors booth. Will we get in trouble for this???

 A favorite Make It Take It at the CCSA show for me was embellishing these glass nail files with tumbled dichroic glass. They really work. Great response to the nail polish craze.

Artful Terrariums

Terrariums have definitely been around for a long time. In fact, they date back to the Victorian era. Like most brilliant ideas, the terrarium was 'discovered' quite by accident. Nathaniel Ward, a London doctor who had an intense enthusiasm for botany, was having difficulty growing ferns in the polluted air of 1820s London. While pondering how to keep his ferns alive, Dr. Ward noticed that the plants placed in his covered insect jars (for studying moths and caterpillars) were actually taking root in the soil. It was a light-bulb moment — Dr. Ward realized that his miniature greenhouse could actually protect the plants enough so that they would thrive. He spread the word of his discovery and even published a book on the subject, On the Growth of Plants in Closely Glazed Cases, and soon there was a Wardian Case -- as the first terrariums were known -- in every Victorian home.

Here are some wonderfully modern and artful terrariums created by Slug & Squirrel.

Terrarium jewelry!

DIY a terrarium.

Random Inspirations for a Friday

Is it really Friday already??? I have so much to do and so little time to do it that it is almost shocking to me how quickly the weekend arrives, and then how equally quickly it goes and I'm right back at work. It's been a challenging week... We are officially in the middle of a heat wave, one that is expected to break any records set over the past 100 years. Last night, our air conditioner started blowing warm air. Warm air. It was over 90 degrees outside last night. We shut if off and just looked at each other. Really? A broken air conditioner in the middle of possibly the hottest summer on record? Yep. I am crossing my hot little fingers that whomever my husband calls to repair this beast can actually get it done today. If not, we are in for a miserable weekend. In the meantime I shall think COOL thoughts... 

 Here are random and very cool inspirations from my Pinterest boards.

  

Cactus Tree

I was reading the blog of Tavi Gevinson, whom I call the 'stylish-girl-from-another-time' because she is cool and retro, and yet so fresh and modern. Anyway, she was going on about her love for Joni Mitchell and it made me want to listen to my favorite song by JM, Cactus Tree. It was especially beautiful in the 1999 film, A Walk On the Moon. So here it is.

DIY Converse Sneakers

I just had to share these great shots from the Converse booth at the Nike U.S. Open of Surf that just wrapped up two days ago at Huntington Beach, CA. Fashion Art is so expressive and I just love how these sneakers are all dangling from showstrings in such vivid pops of color. Be inspired to make your own cool pair using this and this!

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday.... 

It's been a long week. I don't know about you, but I could use a little slide on my staircase.

Olympic Nail Art

Here's what you get when you blend two super hot trends - the Olympics and nail art!