Friday, December 21, 2012

Snowflakes for Newtown Students


It's Friday afternoon, and it's my very last day of work until January 7th. I'm looking forward to a much needed break! Today we played with glitter and glue and scissors. It's been a somber week for our nation due to the Sandy Hook incident, and our company wanted to do something upbeat for the school children who have been traumatized and displaced. We learned that the Connecticut PTSA is collecting handmade snowflakes to hang at whatever school the students will attend when they return to school. What a cheerful and comforting way to welcome the children back to school! So today iLoveToCreate set up a crafty work station for all our team members to create and decorate snowflakes. With the help of this tutorial and these products, I set out to make my contribution to this most worthy cause.

I didn't want to use plain white paper that was provided so I simple cut up some of my Women's Wear Daily fashion newspapers and experimented with different cuts to see what I'd end up with. Because the paper is so thin, I spray mounted the snowflakes onto a sheet of Ink Jet transparency film and cut broadly around the snowflake shape. A hole punch on top with a festive ribbon tied through it makes hanging these snowflakes easy. Lastly, I brushed on Aleene's Tacky Glue here and there on my snowflake, and then sprinkled on lots and lots of glitter. I wrote of message of encouragement on the back of my snowflake so the children will feel our love and know that they are not alone.








Monday, December 17, 2012

Mad Hatter Christmas


Last Friday we had our company Christmas party and every year we have a contest of some sort. Two years ago it was creating a fabulous handmade ornament. Last year's contest was a competition to see who could wear the tackiest Christmas sweater. This year, it was all about donning the most creative, over-the-top hat. Well I didn't have time or money to deal with this challenge, but I have a great friend who apparently has a bin full of crazy head toppers. I stopped by her house on the night before our party to see if she had anything festive I could borrow. Sure enough, I found several that I knew would be perfect for me and my besties at work who also happened to be struggling to find something. My borrowed hat even won a prize! Thanks, Jonica!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Wish List

Happy 12-12-12! Yes, it is December 12, 2012. In the world of numerology, twelve is considered the number of completeness and represents the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. December is the twelfth and final month of the year, every 12 hours day turns to night or night to day and today completes the trice-repeating dates until the next century rolls around.
 
Across cultures and religions three is considered a heavenly number and often represents the soul or Godhead, while four is the number of earth and mankind, as there are four elements (earth, air, fire and water) and four cardinal directions (north, south, east and west). The product of the divine number three and the earthly number four, 12 encompasses both the sacred and secular.
 
Speaking of 12, we are 12 days away from Christmas, and each Christmas I never know what to ask for because I really don't enjoy the commercial aspect of Christmas. My idea of the perfect Christmas is going to church on Christmas Eve, and being home on Christmas day -- surrounded by family, a fire in the fireplace, snow on the ground [never happens where I live, but I can still dream], Christmas music playing or watching my favorite movie, It's A Wonderful Life, and cooking a beautiful meal. Under my tree this year I probably won't find any of these things [for various reasons], but a girl can wish.


  
This Flask Bangle by Cynthia Rowley

 A chubby, snub-nosed pup

 A weekend in a coastal town

 This Tiara ring from Sundance to add to my stack on my left ring finger


This hammered metal coffee table from World Market

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Words To Live By

 
Have you ever read Bruce Mau's INCOMPLETE MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE? I stumbled across the list and was really inspired. It's a list of stuff we probably all know deep down but don't always remember to embrace or practice. Here are a few of my favorites:
 
 
1. Allow events to change you.
You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.
 
3. Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.
 
9. Begin anywhere.
John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere.
 
15. Ask stupid questions.
Growth is fueled by desire and innocence. Assess the answer, not the question. Imagine learning throughout your life at the rate of an infant.
 
16. Collaborate.
The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential.
 
18. Stay up late.
Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you’re separated from the rest of the world.
 
39. Coffee breaks, cab rides, green rooms.
Real growth often happens outside of where we intend it to, in the interstitial spaces — what Dr. Seuss calls "the waiting place." Hans Ulrich Obrist once organized a science and art conference with all of the infrastructure of a conference — the parties, chats, lunches, airport arrivals — but with no actual conference. Apparently it was hugely successful and spawned many ongoing collaborations.



Thursday, December 6, 2012



And Pantone's Color of the Year is..........EMERALD!

To learn more about this radiant color choice, click here. See the Holiday Look Book featuring Emerald on Pinterest.






Wednesday, December 5, 2012

All That Glitters . . . Projects For the Holidays



Looking for fabulously stylish projects that will make you sparkle, and that you can make yourself?
 
 
Click here to see more projects like these.
 



 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Karmin, Coach and Rachel Zoe

Just a little early December mood music brought to you from the WhoWhatWear blog.
COACH has partnered with Karmin and Rachel Zoe to bring a fun holiday song and great looks for the season…Karmin’s Amy and Nick put their own twist on “Sleigh Ride” and were styled in Rachel Zoe’s hand-picked looks from COACH‘s Holiday 2012 collection for the music video.



Monday, December 3, 2012

T-Shirt OS - Would You Want One?

The t-shirt, the original canvas of wearable expression, the original 'Like' button... these are great statements about the iconic t-shirt. Check out this promo for t-shirt OS if you want to wear a t-shirt that is the latest platform to express yourself.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

How To Tie A Bow Tie


It's a classy hidden talent for any girl to have, especially at the holidays. If the occasion ever arises where you need to pull this rabbit out of your hat, your friends will be impressed and your man will love it! 




These guys know how to rock a bow tie, even when they are barely wearing them.



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Recycled Vintage Saris

Did everyone have a great Thanksgiving? Me too. I even attempted for the first time ever to go Black Friday shopping late on Thursday evening. That is so NOT me! But I let myself get talked into it so I decided to go with an open mind and closed wallet. I guess you could say I went for the 'experience'. Long story short, the stores were an absolute zoo and my friends called it a night by 1:30am. Check that off my 'Bucket List'.

Here is a trend (fad?) I've been noticing this holiday season that I personally really like: Recycled vintage saris made into Christmas decor. I first saw a sari garland last month at Crate&Barrel while visiting their holiday section, and then I saw more recycled sari trimmings featured in the Sundance catalog. Fingers crossed that these one-of-a-kind beauties go on sale right after Christmas and I am able to score several strands for the price of one! Maybe it's a good thing I didn't drop all my dollars at Black Friday.
 







 



Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Creative Mothers Documentary

I watched this video today and really want to share it with you. It's about creative mothers and how they feel about trying to hang onto that thread of creativity that can sometimes get lost in the day-to-day activity of being a mom. I think women often have great creative passions that sometimes get put on a shelf for a later day because life sidetracks their creative expression. It's hard to find the balance sometimes.

Monday, November 12, 2012

DIY Christmas Banner

I got inspired over the weekend to make a super easy, inexpensive Christmas banner for my friend's work cube. She loves purple and couldn't find a Christmas banner that she liked. Here's what I did: I bought a package of black and white paper straws while shopping at Home Goods.They are the coolest things! Then I stopped by Target and perused their holiday section and found these felt snowflakes for $1 each. A dollar.  How could I not buy them? To make my banner I simply cut the straws into approximately 1" lengths and began stringing them onto cotton string (about 6 feet long). There are probably about 8-10 pieces of the paper straw between each snowflake with about twice that at the beginning and end of the banner. I did cut the gold ribbon off  of the snowflakes and used the cotton string to make a loop instead so that all the string would match. When I was done stringing, I made a loop at each end of the banner for easy hanging. This project literally took about 20 minutes at my kitchen table to put together. How easy is that!? And my friend loves it!




Tuesday, November 6, 2012

VOTE!

Today your voice will be heard loud and clear, but only if you
VOTE. 

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Tentacle Trend

Okay, so this is kind of a weird observation but has anyone else noticed the mainstreaming of tentacles? I've seen tentacles and octopus motifs screen-printed on tee-shirts, totes, and notebooks in the past at craft shows like Maker Faire. Kind of a fringe design...not really mainstream. But then I went to Roseville a couple of weeks ago and noticed tentacles. For fall, not summer. I saw lot's of them but didn't start to take pictures to document my sightings until I saw them in the window at Louis Vuitton. That made me sit up and take notice. What's up with that, and why?  
I'd love to hear from you if you've seen this motif, and your take on it.




Ornaments from Crate & Barrel

 Z Gallery

 Cake plate BHLDN

Friday, November 2, 2012

Which sparkle is your favorite?

Which sparkle is your very favorite? Do you plan to glitz up your holiday season with sparkle?


Monday, October 29, 2012

Halloween: Cobweb Doilies

I absolutely LOVE this idea from Free People BLDG 25 blog. It is such an original idea! I want to do this next year on my iron scroll headboard. What a pretty way to decorate for Halloween. 









Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Quartz

Quartz is making a big statement in fashion.  

Chanel 2012


Celebrity style-makers wear crystal bullet necklaces

Crystal bullet jewelry seen at POOL / Sourcing at MAGIC



Seen over the weekend on the Urban Outfitters store window

DIY Crystal hair clip from P.S. I Made This...