Ideezine

Make a "Cranky" Promise to Yourself...Being Real

2012-01-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

As I waited in line at Costco, yesterday, among people pushing, complaining, staring at items in baskets, glaring at the back of your neck, and squeezing to push their baskets in front of you barely saying "excuse me". Really is a lesson in promises to yourself and a place for live feedback.

As I was moving slowly with the "herd to checkout" I noticed the words on a man's pure white tee shirt, as he was checking out, it read "CRANKY" accross his chest. It made me laugh because I rarely get cranky (but don't push me) and this situation ignited a spark of thinking differently for the rest of the day.

Here we are in the first month of a new year, with promises made, resolutions starting to fade, and people being who they are "being real".

As the day went on that word "CRANKY" haunted me. Clearly it was present to teach me something so I looked it up in the dictionary and thesaurus. Below are the four thesaurus descriptions, that sure enough, played out right before my eyes all while I was in line (great place for people watching and behavior observation) we absorb more that we realize.

Cranky:

1 Difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design
2 Easily irritated or annoyed
3 Given to complaining a lot
4 Different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion

As you can see, I highlighted the fourth description because I can identify all these patterns in everyone. It takes all three to equal the forth with all people, ideas, innovation, jobs, etc. whether you work alone or with a group, learn or teach, talk or remain silent. These four remain a constant.

No matter the length of time, space, or type of situation, as soon as I "blink to think" about it I see it...thoughts become things.

Promise Yourself...
~ author unknown

Promise yourself to be so strong
That nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity
To every person you meet.

To make all your friends
feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything
And make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best,
To work only for the best, to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
As you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
And press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
And give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
That you have no time to criticize others.

Or be too large for worry,
Too noble for anger, too strong for fear
And too happy to permit the presence of trouble....

This is the perfect time to Make a Cranky Promise to Yourself and Be Real because no matter how far you want to go or what you actually do in life depends on YOU being real with yourself and others BE:

Tender with the young,
Compassionate with the aged,
Sympathetic with the striving
Tolerant of the weak and strong.

Whether you experience doubt or choice as someone points that directly at you. You'll experience all of these emotions in you life. So make a point to: get out your bike and ride it, find that kite and fly it, use your eyes and photograph to capture it, blink to think for yourself...be Cranky! Remember it has nothing to do with age but everything to do with time and space.

So what do you think about Making a Cranky Promise to Yourself and Being Real it's very do-able don't you agree?

image: california winter day by Bette, google image: heart of birds, poem promise yourself google

"Precious" by Leonardo di Vinci

2012-01-11T22:16:00.000-08:00

This is a lovely handbag called "Pretiosa" (Precious) and this familiar drawing is by the one and only Leonardi da Vinci (1452-1519). Leonardo was an artist, inventor, scientist, architect, engineer, writer and musician and now we know he was also a fashion designer. More here (La Pretiosa di Leonardo).

After months of research, meticulously, through fragmented drawings of a unique bag designed by Renaissances super-genius about 1497. The sketch first published in 1978 by Carlo Pedretti (a Da Vinci scholar) who identified it among the Atlantic Code's tens of thousands of drawings.

The Codex Atlanticus is a twelve-volume, bound set of drawings and writings by Leonardo da Vinci, the largest set encompasses 1,119 leaves dating from 1478 to 1519. Variety of subjects: flight, weaponry, musical instruments, mathematics to botany. I would love to take a full year with the all twelve volumes (one a month) and pour over all the details, sketches, and notes by this super-genius.

These drawings, overlooked for more than three decades, reconstructed, reassembled, by Agnese Saboto and Alessandro Vezzosi, director of the Museu Ideale in the Tuscan town where Leonardi di Vinci was born in 1452.

This bag has now been reinterpreted and created by renowned Florentine fashion house Gherandini. Made of refined leather this beautiful bag will be presented in a world premiere at the Pitti Fashion show in Florence. Then it will be shown in a related exhibition at the Academy of the Arts of Drawing, founded in 1563.

This bag is fashionably vintage, chic, functional, capable, beautifully creative, elegant, aged and yet very modern. Displayed in beautiful Florentine traditional leather work and stunning. This bag would be the envy of many in it's time of Renaissance fashion. It really is amazing today with a unique closing system that demonstrates detail and efficiency.

Many things that are old are new again through careful review, reinterpretation, love, emotional attachment, period piece affection, re-styling and a purpose in design called search and conquer. Many beautiful things go unnoticed until the appropriate time comes for them to reveal themselves.

Here is a clip on the making of GHERARDINI La Pretiosa di Leonardo

This "Precious" bag is absolutely fabulous and proves that skill and aesthetics last for decades. Our modern ways of making that possible are on the horizon if we take a chance on it and we create it.

Do you think this bag was reinterpreted accurately?

Does this bag appeal to your aesthetic style?

Discovery News, Wiki, google images, Youtube

Let's Start 2012 With Confident Reflections

2012-01-02T13:39:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest pleasures of a new year, like a new list is, it begins with the number one. This year, like many before, we begin with promises to ourselves. My thoughts are when you know better you do better. Today IS different. This IS a new day. We know better and we'll do better with a very powerful practice to keep that promise to ourselves and stay at the top our list as NUMBER ONE. Ready?...sure you are.

This powerful practice is called mirror affirmations. All you need is:

Yourself, (full attention)

A mirror, we're never far from one (home, car, purse, at your desk, etc.)

A promise to (yourself) to repeat your affirmations, ten times, twice a day (mornng and evening), for 30 days (powerful affirmation below)

Keep yourself as number one item on your list means having a firm commitment. You'll feel the world responding to you in amazing ways. How? By the way you respond to yourself, your feelings, and most importantly by your reflection...that one of a kind, amazing person before you...that's right YOU!

I learned about this technique some years ago by reading some of Louise Hay Books, assigned reading, in my psychology classes. Louise Hay, is the author of the international best seller You Can Heal Your Life, is a metaphysical lecturer and teacher with more that 40 million books sold worldwide. Louise (84) is the founder and chairman of Hay House, Inc., which contribute to healing the planet.

WHY mirror work affirmations will work is explained further on Louise's Blogpost titled Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall. I suggest that you read her post twice and see how you feel repeating her suggested affirmations.

The great thing about affirmations is they're everywhere (yes there are Louise Hay iPhone apps for this too!). You will feel uncomfortable at first repeating powerful affirming words to yourself. Be firm and press on.

It's a fact that your mind adheres to what your ears believe that your lips say. Words matter and you have to keep repeating affirmations until you Believe! Watch how you take charge of negative thoughts and words that challange you and your goals.

I really want you to have a better year than the one before and it starts with a huge gift to yourself that will last a lifetime. In case you need to read more here is another article by Cheryl Richardson and how she learned about Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall from Louise Hay herself.

The most profound affirmations happen, when you are in front of a mirror, looking into your eyes and simply saying, (your name) I Love You...I really really Love you, keep repeating it...stand tall and feel the Magic happen. Happy Happy New YOU.

Are you familiar with of Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall affirmation work?

Are you willing to give yourself the number one spot for 30 days and really make a difference in 2012?

Please leave me a comment and let me know how this resonates with you, especially, after your first week of mirror work.

google images

Happy Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T21:51:00.001-08:00

As we stand before the gentle waters of a new year keep this quote in mind and...cast your cares all is well.

If it didn’t Bring you Joy,
Just Leave it Behind.

Let’s Ring in the New Year
With Good Things in Mind.

Let Every Bad Memory Go
That Brought Heartache and Pain.

And let’s Turn a New Leaf
With the Smell of New Rain.

Let’s Forget Past Mistakes
Making Amends for This Year.

Sending You These Greetings
To Bring you Hope and Cheer

Happy New Year!

~ Author Unknown

Thank You followers, new and renewed, creativity is within all of us, desire of appreciation drives us, and new friends are the rewards.

Blessings in 2012...Cheers!

google images

A Resolve To? Of Course You Do!

2011-12-27T22:38:00.000-08:00

Happy post Christmas! While we’re looking forward to the New Year, already, it’s time to start thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. This is a New Year's Resolution postcard from 1915.

Personally, I’m resolving to do a closet cleaning, magazine clearing, donation station, (this week) and to refresh by restyling some loved items in my wardrobe. Invest in new, classic basics. And push my e-learning boundaries to the next level and mix things up a bit this year.

How about you? Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions that you’d like to share (aka to set a positive intention to)?

I have every confidence in your abilities and I know, at this moment in time, you do too.

Happy Holidays Everyone!
google images

Merry Christmas To You

2011-12-20T23:16:00.000-08:00

May this Christmas play the song in your heart, encouraging a dance of joy in your step, and may you feel really really blessed.

Merry Christmas Blessings to you and your family from our house to yours.

Bette

Becky Kelly Illustration

Nativity Scenes Evoke True Spirit Of Christmas

2011-12-12T15:11:00.001-08:00

A Nativity scene, manger scene, krippe, creche, or crib, are all a depiction of the birth of Jesus as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. The term "Nativity scene" includes two dimensional depictions in film, painting, printmaking, and other media.

In the history of art and culture, as well as in popular use, the term refers to static, three dimensional, artistic, commercial or folk art dioramas, or pantomimes called "living nativity scenes" in which real humans and animals participate. Nativity scene figures are: infant Jesus, his mother Mary, and Joseph, shepherds, the Magi, angels, farm animals such as a donkey, ox and camels.

St. Francis of Assisi is credited with credited with creating the first nativity scene in 1223 (a "living one") a Greccio, Italy, intending to cultivate the worship of Christ, having been inspired by his recent visit to the Holy Land where he had been shown Jesus' traditional birthplace. Staged in a cave near Greccio, St. Francis' nativity scene had humans and animals cast in the Biblical roles and Pope Honorius III gave his blessing to the exhibit.

Within a hundred years every church in Italy was expected to have a nativity scene at Christmastime. Eventually, statues grew to elaborate affairs with richly robed figurines placed in intricate landscape settings. Charles III, King of the Two Sicilies, collected such elaborate scenes, and his enthusiasm encouraged others to do the same.

The best know nativity scene in America is the Neapolitan Baroque Creche displayed annually in the Medieval Sculpture Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It's backdrop is a 1763 choir screen from the Cathedral of Valladolid (Northern Spain) and a twenty-foot blue spruce decorated with 18th-century angels. The nativity figures are placed at the tree's base. The creche was the gift of Loretta Hines Howard in 1964, and the choir of screen was the gift of The William Randolph Hearst Foundation in 1956.

Nativity scenes, for me, in a manger under my Christmas tree, in a painting, a displayed scene, or a movie, raises my feelings of the true spirit of Christmas, and the powerful human connection. I have an immense respect for all the ways this wonderful moment in time has lived on and is artistically interpreted.

How is your Christmas Spirit this year?

Are you impacted by artistic displays at Christmas?

google images, wiki

Christmas Stockings A Traditon That Hangs On

2011-12-06T13:26:00.001-08:00

Christmas Stockings have always been part of my Christmas memories. It's the element of surprise that we all grew up with and still keep alive. Christmas invites us to "Believe" without knowing for certain how much magic will take place.

A Christmas stocking is an empty sock or boot like shape bag that children hang prior to or on Christmas Eve so Santa Claus (or Father Christmas) can fill with small toys, candy fruit, coins or other small gifts when he arrives. These small items are often referred to as stocking stuffers or stocking fillers.

While there is no written records of the origin of the Christmas Stocking, there are popular legends that attempt to tell the history of this Christmas tradition. A tradition that began in a European country originally, children used one of their everyday socks, eventually, special Christmas stockings were created for this purpose.

This Christmas stocking custom is derived from the Germanic figure Odin (the chief god in North Germanic tradition). Children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw, or sugar, near the chimney for Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat.

Odin would reward children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy. This practice, (according to Phyllis Siefker), survived in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands after the adoption of Christianity and became associated with St. Nicholas as a result of the process of Christianization.

Today the selection of stockings and the variety of colors, styles, and textures are endless and Christmas stockings are always a favorite craft item to make during the holiday season. What a great gift for a family, classroom craft activity and as gifts for special friends and family members.

Many families create their own Christmas stockings with each family member's name applied to the stocking so that "Santa" will know which stocking belongs to which family member and please don't forget about your pets!

This is one important Christmas decoration that brings so much to our season. I don't know anyone who celebrates Christmas that would want to miss out on a stocking filled with goodies just for them.

Over the years I've made quite a few stockings and it's really easy to find great patterns for simple ones to customize the look you want. Many companies sell beautiful stockings online and purchasing is a search and click away.

Are you adding new Christmas stockings to your list this year for others or yoruself?

Do you have a favorite stocking that's been with you for a long time and you are not willing give up?

google images, wiki

Aprons For Every Job You Do

2011-12-01T14:41:00.001-08:00

An Apron is an outer protective garment that covers primarily the front of the body. The word apron is from the metanalysis of the term "a napron" to "an apron". The original spelling of napron has been lost. It was traditionally viewed as an essential garment for anyone doing housework. Cheaper clothes and washing machines made aprons less common beginning in the mid 1960s in some countries such as the U.S. however the practice of wearing aprons remains strong in many places.

Aprons are worn in many commercial establishments to protect workers clothes from damage, mainly bib aprons but also others such as blacksmiths or farrier aprons. In addition to cloth, aprons can be made of a variety of materials. Rubber aprons are used by people working with dangerous chemicals and lead aprons are commonly worn by X-ray technicians who work near radiation. Carpenters aprons have many pockets to hold tools, nails, tape measures, and hammers.

The apron is commonly part of the uniform for several work categories: waitresses, nurses and domestic workers as well as many others. Many homemakers (aka domestic diva's) also wear them and now they appear as a decorative garment by women and little girls too.

Today the apron has enjoyed a minor renaissance for both men and women who wear them when performing household and garden chores. They're versatile and make great gifts for all occasions and only your imagination limits you. Google "aprons" and every style, color and length is available. A basic distinction is between waist aprons (seen below) which cover the body from the waist down and a bib apron (seen above) covers the upper part of the body.

An apron is usually held in place by ribbon-like strips of cloth that are tied in the back and a bib apron may either have a strap in around the neck (more common today), or shoulder straps that criss-cross in the back and attach to the waistband.

Other types of aprons are pinafore and the cobbler and these aprons cover the sleeves. Aprons have really come a long way and the hostess aprons like this one from Heavenly Hostess uses a lovely sheer fabric and is just wonderful to wear while hosting all your holiday events. Great gift for this holiday season too!

Aprons have always been in our lives my Mom and Grandmothers are in family photos wearing their wonderful aprons. Aprons are a great part of our history and with a glance you can tell who the workers of the households, shops, and farms because of the presence of their aprons.

I have aprons for everything I do in the: kitchen, gardening, sewing, painting, even for design installations, etc. mine are made out of all sorts of fabrics too...how about you?

Are you planning on gift giving any aprons this holiday season?

images google, wiki

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T19:46:00.001-08:00

Forever on Thanksgiving Day The heart will find the pathway home
~ Wilbur D. Nesbit

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough,and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.
~ Melody Beattie

Thank You for visiting Ideezine and leaving comments. I really enjoy learning about each of you and your blogs and I consider it such a continuos blessing. Have a Blessed Thanksgiving Holiday.

google images, quote garden

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2011-11-18T15:34:00.001-08:00

As we head into this wonderful holiday:

May you enjoy the goodness of the company, as well as, the wonderful smells of foods in a Happy Thanksgiving,

As take your places at the your Thanksgiving tables, here are some helpful things to remember:

Look to your left, look to your right, feel grateful and be thankful for all those that sit at your table,

May you find more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving than in the years before.

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year or are you a guest?

google images

The Versatile Bloggers 7 Things

2011-11-12T00:01:00.001-08:00

In accepting this award for "The Versatile Blogger" first things first saying "Thank You" to Kelly! @ http://jaxdoesdesign.blogspot.com if you don't know about Kelly or have not visited her blog please do. She is a wonderful person with a colorful blog, very versatile, kind, and puts her whole heart into anything her north star guides her to do.

The Rules:

1. Thank the award-giver and link back to them in your post.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass this award along to recently discovered and often visited blogs you enjoy reading.

4. Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.

Versatile: embracing a variety of subjects, fields, or skills; also: turning with ease from one thing to another.

Sharing 7 things about myself:

I am very aware of what your design needs are before you ask me to help you. Even when you contact me for reasons other than about design I am generous with kindness.

I am flexible and strong in motivation to "touch your heart" because that's the universal language spoken without words.

I am energetic and have a positive attitude about everything and everyone it's the fuel that ignites the passion in all of us.

I have a great deal of experience and remain fiercely loyal to lessons learned through life's generosity.

I am a team player who knows that listening to others, attention to detail, and enthusiasm is powerful motivation and the driving force by which humans achieve their goals.

I am seeking to become an expert on me by always learning more.

I am highly motivated by people, places, and things that touch my soul. Only by what is reflected back to me, as a sign, confirms I am on the right track.

Passing along this award to as many blogs as I can as there are many I have yet to discover. I encourage you to visit these blogs and leave comments. This is how we grow strong on the blog vine and exchange fruitful thoughts, inspiration and make some great friends.

Anne @ http://annechovie.blogspot.com
Stacy @ http://www.conspicuousstyle.com
Mary Ann @ http://www.classiccasualhome.com
Sande @ http://agiftwrappedlife.blogspot.com
Maya @ http://www.completely-coastal.com
Sarah @ http://flourishdesignandstyle.blogspot.com
Helen @ http://helentilstonpainter.blogspot.com
Renee @ http://reneefinberg.blogspot.com
Viera @ http://vtinteriors.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by and do share your thoughts while you are here. I love to learn more about all of you and your blogs too.

November...Awareness and Planning

2011-11-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a nice Halloween I am surprised at how few tricker treaters were out this year. Many people reported record low attendance this year I wonder why? In years past we've had over 200 (yes over 200) come to our home and neighborhood. I know because the candy we gave out (tootsie pops) were 100 per box and we had 2 boxes. Last evening by 7:30 p.m., after dinner with my siblings at my sister's house, it was as quiet as a ghost town.

It's November and we had thick fog on our drive home which was very unusual as well. Time to prepare for this Thanksgiving holiday, gatherings with friends and family, travel, shopping and all the prep work involved in making things exceptional.

Somethings different this year...it feels very quiet...the temperatures vary by unusual degrees with 85 degree heat the beginning of the week and two days later it's raining and dropping into the 30's and 40's at night.

I'm reviewing the timelines on my clients projects to finish up, reviewing online planners for Thanksgiving dinner here's a (great Martha Stewart planner pdf), and a checklist, and reviewing recipes like Pumpkin cupcakes and Pumpkin swirl Truffle Brownies from my favorite grocery store. My niece (three) and nephew (five) love to bake and make stuff in the kitchen so I need time to plan a play n' bake day before the holidays.

Keep in mind that good food and exercise are your priorities. You can skip some of the goodies (tell yourself you've had them before). Stay out of the rush and stress that can come by to tap you on the shoulder (if you let it) and just plan on breezing along without it. You can do it as long as you plan ahead.

Are you aiming to do things differently this season?

google images

Halloween...How Fun!

2011-10-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for Halloween? It's coming with tricks and treats and smiles galore. Trick or treat is a customary practice of Halloween in many countries. Children in costumes travel from house to house in order to ask for treats such as candy or, in some cultures, money. With a question being Trick or Treat?

The "trick" is a threat to perform some sort of mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is surrendered. The tradition of going door to door receiving food already existed in Great Britain and Ireland, where children and poor people would sing and say prayers for the dead in return for cakes.

Children disguised in their costumes predated trick or treat and is recorded in Scotland at Halloween in 1895, where masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns made out of turnips and visited homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit and money. While going door to door in disguise has remained popular in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Republic of Ireland, Puerto Rico and northwestern and central Mexico. Saying "trick or treat" has only recently become popular as a North American custom.

Halloween is fun for everyone, I've made many costumes through the years and, I still love it like it was a new adventure created yesterday and in fact it was. Halloween decorations and dressing up have gained much more variety and fanfare than when we were much younger.

Even our pets (these sweet dogs make me laugh...how cute!) are becoming fond of the idea of getting a treat for wearing a tricky costume for an hour or two.
Happy Halloween Trick or Treat!

How much do you put into Halloween every year? Do you decorate more? Plan an annual party? Or Costume up or not at all?

google images

A Spark of Passionate Inspriation...Liquid Gold

2011-10-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

So here we are at the end of October, the golden month, when we begin to reflect on the end of another year. The news has been filled with sorrow. For me it's a time of "Passionate Inspirations" because it's the beginning of my personal new year, my birthday, which is Sunday October 23rd.

There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart...pursue those...Passion

What does "A Spark of Passionate Inspiration" mean? It means a feeling you get as excitement builds about what you like to be or do in your life that empowers emotions to flow. I like to call it "Liquid Gold". Passionate inspiration occurs when you feel so inspired by something like: (movie, play, article, product, person, place or thing, or an exchange with a complete stranger) and you become engulfed with passion.

The most difficult phase of life is not when no one understands you: It is when you don't understand yourself.

Whatever triggers it, you'll usually know the exact moment it happens. You feel a spark of inspiration that is followed by a flood of enthusiasm. Next the liquid gold begins to flow and ideas quickly turn into a river and before you know it you can't keep up. This is when I cast my net far and wide and record as much as I can while in the flow because this is when the magic appears from brain outward and shows us our passion.

Passionate inspiration is the ability to look at what you do in life and know that all you have to accomplish needs to have your heart in the tasks that present themselves. Be an instrument for the creation of beauty, and to allow our good works to be expressed through us.

To truly understand what passionate inspiration can do, you must get out of your own way, halt blocks, eliminate excuses and believe in your heart that you have something important to contribute. Take a chance, close your eyes, and believe in what you are doing, right here, right now. Watch how a spark of passionate inspiration flows like liquid gold.

Are you a "spark" for others?

Or Does something outside yourself "spark" you?

google images, B-Day, Passionate Inspirations

Autumn is Harvest Time

2011-10-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons and marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March (Southern Hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier in between summer and winter. Some cultures regard autumnal equinox as "mid-autumn", others with a longer lag treat it as the start of autumn.

The word autumn comes from the Old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was later changes to the original Latin word autumus and was common by the 16th century. Just before the the 16th century, harvest was the term used to refer to the season. Due to the fact that more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns (and able to read and write and use the language we now know).

The word harvest has lost its reference to the time of year and come to refer to the actual activity of reaping, and autumn, as well as fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season.

Autumn in poetry has often been associated with melancholy because the possibilities of summer are gone, and the chill of winter is on the horizon, skies turn grey, and many people turn inward, both physically and mentally.

While most foods are harvested during the autumn, foods particularly associated with the season include pumpkins, which are integral parts of Halloween and Thanksgiving, and apples, which are used to make the seasonal beverage apple cider (hot apple cider with cinnamon yum yum!).

Confectionery industries as well as television, film, book, and home decoration use this time of year to promote products associated with holidays, with promotions going from early September to October 31, since their themes lose strength once the holiday ends, and advertising starts to focus on Christmas. Strong associations with football generally geared around fall weather and playing in cold elements. Television stations, networks gear their seasons with new series, new episodes of existing series debuting most during late September.

Since 1997, Autumn has been one of the top too names for girls in the U.S. In Indian mythology, autumn is considered to be preferred season for the goddess of learning Saraswati, who is also known by the name of "goddess of autumn" (Sharada).

Autumn is the beginning of three months of celebrations. Time spent with family, friends, new fall fashions, new home designs and decorations, baking, cooking, parties, weddings, creative adventures and using lots of fall colors.

What do you look forward to in Autumn?

sketch by Bette, google images, wiki

Decorating with a Bit of History ~ Guest Post

2011-09-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

One of my absolute passions is History/Herstory in all it's fastinating forms. The more you explore the more you want to learn, as I discovered, while working on my art history degree. The branches on the history/herstory tree are inviting, extensive, and life changing. Please enjoy this guest post on decorating with a bit of history/herstory and become...inspired!

Today’s guest post is from Susi, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a must-shop resource for beautiful light fixtures. For anyone who loves history or even just watching the History Channel, decorating with bits of history through furniture and objects can make a house feel more like a home. From vintage table lamps to antique prints, small objects can tell big stories.

Veranda (via)

Decorating with antiques and architectural salvage means you are bringing history into your home. These sculptural wood panels with rosettes may have been the ceiling of a chateau.

Pinterest (via)

Antique wood furniture makes for sturdy furnishing for a kid’s room. Bits of nostalgia, like a child sized antique chair and vintage toys complete a kid friendly design.

Pinterest (via)

A favorite historical accessory is a vintage globe. Vintage globes can add color to a space but also show how the world was once organized. Look for globes from different eras to trace the change in names and borders.

Pinterest (via)

Vintage tables and lamps may recall another time but can look just as stylish today. A rotary phone however is just decorative these days…a true bit of history. Vintage frames and suitcases are also popular bits of history used to decorate today’s home.

Remodelista (via)

Bringing history into your home isn’t limited to large pieces of furniture. Linens, china, glassware and cookware, whether vintage or antique, are all opportunities to add a bit of history in your décor.

Scissors and Thread (via)

Finding new uses for old objects is a great way to decorate with bits of history. Love these message boards made from old silverplate trays.

Etsy (via)

Love vintage books. Find stacks of them on Etsy and at library sales to fill shelves and tables with interesting reads.

House Beautiful (via)

Antique prints and magazine illustrations are great ways to bring history into a room filled with antique furniture and lighting like this ornate wall sconce. Choose a subject or theme you love and start collecting.

Content provided by Arcadian Lighting, a site that specializes in top quality lighting fixtures at extremely affordable prices. If you like this post, be sure to stop by the Arcadian Lighting blog and say hello!

Special "Thank You" to Arcadian Lighting for this great post!

How open are you to decorating with a bit of history or herstory in your home, office, studio or with clients?

My Favorite Tree is Sweetgum

2011-09-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Sweetgum (Liquidamber Tree)

I have a couple of Sweetgum trees in my front yard and am thinking of adding another to my back yard as well. Sweetgum Liquidamber is a genus of four species of flowering plants in the family Altingiaceae. Large deciduous trees, 25-40 m tall, with 5 to 7 lobed leaves arranged spirally on the stems and their length is 12.5 to 20 cm. They have a wonderful aroma when raked (crushed) together.

Mature bark is a light grayish color with grooves that run vertically. Their fruit is a woody multiple capsule called a "gumball", which contains numerous seeds and covered with a prickly exterior. Sweetgum is the last tree to gain all it's leaves in spring and the last tree to drop it's leaves in fall. Beautiful leaves in multiple colors of green in spring to yellow, orange, amber, and plum in the fall. Loved learning about the whole leaf changing process in botany and landscape design classes.

The wood is used for furniture, interior finish, paper pulp, veneers and baskets of all kinds. The heartwood once was used in furniture, sometimes as imitation mahogany or circassian walnut. Sweetgum is a food-plant for various caterpillars like the gypsy moth. The hardened sap, or gum resin, excreted from the wounds of the Sweetgum can be chewed like chewing gum and has long been a substitute for chewing gum/ The sap was also believed to be a cure for sciatica, weakness of nerves.

In Chinese herbal medicine, lu lu tong, or "all roads open" is the hard, spiky fruit of native sweetgum species. It first appeared in the medical literature in Omissions from Materia tong promotes the movement of blood and Qi moves water and unlocks the channels with many other beneficial uses.

Several of my neighbors have liquidamber trees in their front yards but due to the soil and amount of sun all of our trees show colors differently, change leaf colors and drop their leaves at a slightly different pace. You can collect some of the leaves in a basket and bring them indoors for an autumn affect to enjoy their sweet aroma for a short time until the leaves dry out completely.

They're all so beautiful and it's exciting to see all the leaves turning colors right about now in the season Autumn is approaching.

Are you seeing signs of Autumn in your garden or neighborhood?

images google, wiki

Saying Goodbye to Summers...Reflections

2011-09-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

Pottery Barn

Saying goodbye is such a hard thing to do. Now that we have had our Labor Day celebrations and head into another week, a short week, it is cause for reflection. My thoughts are what were the highlights of Summer and what worked out well enough to make it permanent for Summers to come?

Meeting new people, visiting new places, attending new events, eating new foods, planning more or planning less?

"The summer night is like a perfection of thought" ~ Wallace Stevens

Pottery Barn

Pictures give us the best form of mental recall and notes assist in the process. When we want to ease into a new season, habit, or process, and also want to remember what worked previously.

Was your Summer more spontaneous or did you plan more this year? Will you do things or plan events the same way or will you be a bit more adventurous in future?

Reflections...how do you mentally make a note?

Do share.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

2011-09-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

As we say goodbye to Summer and celebrate with food and fun. Take a moment to reflect on others out of work this year and visualize people working, smile at those who appear sad, everywhere you go. This act of kindness will spread more good quicker than you'll ever know.

Be safe and have a wonderful time celebrating and enjoying this weekend to the fullest.

I'm beginning by celebrating the new blog post/publish format on blogger....enjoy!

google image

Celebrate Summer All Year Long With...Seashells

2011-08-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Wishing all those affected by "Hurricane Irene" safety as the cleanup and repairs begin to regain your lives back.

I love seashells and I've collected them as long as I can remember. Seashells are treasures of summer and reminders that nature keeps on giving. After a storm or a hurricane (these days) you can walk along the shore and find some of the most beautiful of gifts from the sea...seashells.

Collection of shells

To keep these treasures all year long as beautiful decor in your home for any room. You can use any lamp shape that is made out of glass to showcase the lovely shells, beach glass, coral, or even beach pepples you've collected.

Restoration Hardware

Select the shells, glass, or pebbles you want to use and follow these easy steps:

1. Wash the items throughly to remove sand

2. Allow them to dry outside in the sun (best drying techinque)

3. Remove the lamp shade

4. Turn the lamp upside down and remove the base to expose the empty glass cylinder

5. Sort (shells, coral, tiny starfish, sand dollars, rocks, pebbles, glass) using most unusual pieces ones along the outside and smaller other shells of a combination of items as filler

6. Gently drop the shells into the base....upside down so when completely filled they will be right side up

7. Ocassionally shake the clylinder to settle the items as you fill...that's it!

Seashell collection

You can fill the glass with shells, coral, tiny starfish, pebbles, and rocks in many different sizes making the filling area as loose or as tightly as you like. Secure the base of the lamp back on, turn lamp upright, and add the shade.

Glass Cylinder Lamp

Now your ready to decorate with these lovely lamps made even more special with your added collection. I use mine in the master bedroom and I've loved them ever since I added my vast collection of shells. With such a natural palette of colors it goes with many rooms and adds a gentle touch of the sea.

So do you have a collection of sea treasures that you could use in this unique way?

google images

8 Ways to Use Fabric in Outdoors Rooms ~ Guest Post

2011-08-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

Today’s guest post is from Susi, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a must-shop resource for beautiful light fixtures. Since we are in the “dog days of summer”, Susi is writing about 8 ways to use fabric in outdoor rooms.  Whether you have an outdoor theater, covered porch, outdoor living room or dining room, balcony or deck, fabric can make the space feel as polished as an interior space in your home.



Pinterest via



No matter the size or location of an outdoor room, fabric can make the space. An outdoor rug and a few accent pillows transforms this plant-filled (tiny) city balcony into a lovely space for two.



Coastal Living via



Use yards of outdoor fabric or sailcloth to create walls for an outdoor living space. Soften an existing ceiling or create a sunshade by draping fabric above the space.



Coastal Living via



Use mosquito netting or a light weight cotton to create a canopy over a daybed or outdoor sofa for a romantic feeling.  Lots of throw pillows in durable outdoor fabric complete the look.



Pinterest via



Outdoor fabric cushions become chaises, cushions become chairs in this fun, stylish backyard movie theater.  Durable outdoor fabrics, like those from Sunbrella, can stand up to the rigors of life outside—during the day under the sun and after dark in the glow of this interesting mixture of outdoor lights.



The Glamourai via



This Indian inspired outdoor room has so many great examples of fabric usage: seat cushions, table linens, rug, throw pillows and upholstered bench/swing -- all work together to make the space.



Flickr via



Outdoor fabrics can be used to create an impromptu outdoor room. This tent reminds us of Out of Africa… with all the comforts of home, including a chandelier.



Better Homes & Gardens via



A covered porch deck provides over from the elements and expands the possible uses of fabrics.  Choose neutral shades for seating upholstery, lighting fixtures and paint, then you can switch out pillows and rugs over the years as your preference changes.



Zilver Blauw via



And perhaps the most creative and whimsical use for outdoor fabric… a fort! We spied this on a Dutch blog and thought it was so sweet!



Content provided by Arcadian Lighting, a site that specializes in top quality ceiling light fixtures at extremely affordable prices. If you like this post, be sure to stop by the Arcadian Lighting blog and say hello!

Special Thank You to Arcadian Lighting for a fun post!

I really love the outdoor movie idea that brings up memories of past drive-in movie days during hot summer nights. So which setting is your favorite?

Back to School Rituals n' Routines

2011-08-11T00:47:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's already that time of year again "Back to School". With it comes rituals and routines which we gladly let go of during summer break. Our family rituals give us a sense of comfort and security and calm our fear of the unknown: new teachers, new school, classmates, waking up earlier, bus schedules, and carpooling.

Along with increased traffic to and from schools and along regular traveled roads and highways. It's both "stressful and exciting" when the new routine is set and plays a tug-of-war with every second you have. Waking up, eating, selecting an outfit, getting out the door and arriving for a full day of another routine "learning".

Some of the rituals and routines we had as children haven't changed that much and some new ones have been added. Technology has assisted us in so many ways for obtaining results much quicker than when I was child going to school and you may not have given it much thought unless you have children in all levels of school today.

Back to School Shopping: You can shop online for all your needs or find the best prices quickly by using your computer at home or your Smart phones. Complete with GPS, store locator's, best price sites and regular stores adding great deals shopping becomes a travel adventure with great results.

Don't forget an ice cream break in between all the trips to the car with packages of supplies it cheers everyone up. Especially when you get home and take a serious look at the clothing and shoe choices made only now you'll be seeing more of them not just on your children but on their classmates as well.

Special Breakfast: One of the best rituals for those who can eat on the first day of school or at least feel much better about the world once you have. Now incorporating a new regular eating time becomes stressful if you're a slow eater no matter what the food choices. I remember having oatmeal, cream of wheat or cold cereal for breakfast. Times have changed and food choices too!

First Day of School Photo: Great ways to build memories and look back to see what has changed: hair styles and colors, clothing, backpacks, shoes and of course the computer gear as well as cell phones for the younger and younger ones these days. Technology has given us such confidence and speed that as soon as the photos are taken they're tweeted, emailed, and posted on Facebook to family and friends as soon as the kids are dropped and before the bus leaves the curb!

Lunch Time Creative Foods and Treats: Using your imagination to bring on a few giggles and create lasting memories helps the days events to move along. Putting cards, encouraging notes, treats and little food creatures in lunches is so fun. I enjoy treats in my lunch still today and I have drawn happy faces on oranges and hard boiled eggs in years past.

Lunches like these for Japanese children are just too cute for words. Of Course, that's a tall order to keep up with once you start. If there's time at least during the first week of school make it special and don't miss a chance to make a some one's day...it goes a long way and you'll always remember how special it was despite how drastic a change it can be to head back to school.

I really loved having new clothes, shoes, notebooks, pens and pencils, lunch box with thermos, hair ribbons, and making new friends. Even today when I go into a store and I see the school supplies I just love all the paper, notebooks, pens and pencils, erasers, pencil cases, and I stilled compelled to by a new pen at the start of the school year.

Rituals and Routines...some never leave us.

What memories do carry with you today that come up as you see "back to school" around the corner?

google images

Dog Days of Summer Siriusly

2011-08-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

August is here and that means summer will soon be gone. so it's time to calendar some great gatherings with friends and family before time slips away. August is know as the Dog Days of summer.

"Dog Days" are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the northern hemisphere, they fall between early July and early September. In the southern hemisphere they are between January and early March. The dates vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. Dog Days also define a period or event that's very hot, stagnant, or marked by lack of progress.

The name Dog Days is referred to as dies caniculares and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius (the brightest star in the night sky). The Dog Days orginally were believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, Quinto raged in anger, dogs grew mad, and creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" according to Brady's Clavis Calendarium, 1813.

The modern French term for both this summer period and for heat waves in general is "canicule", it means "little dog" referring to Sirius. What the naked eye perceives as a single star is actuary a binary star system (consists of a white main sequence star Sirius A and a faint white drawf companion termed Sirius B.

Sirius appears bright because of both its intrinsic lumiosity and it proximity to Earth and one of Earth's neighbors. The heliacal rising of Sirius marked the flooding of the Nile in Ancient Egypt and the "dog days" of summer for the ancient Greeks, whereas Polynesians ti marked winter and was an important star for navaigation around the Pacific Ocean.

Due to it's brightness, Sirius has been noted to twinkie more in the unsettled weather conditions of early summer. Sirius can be seen from almost every inhabited region of the Earth's surface, with those north of 73 degrees unable to see it. Sirius does not rise very high when seen from some northern cities, reaching only 13 degrees above the horizon from Saint Petersberg.

Sirius can been seen in both the evening where it sets after the Sun, and in the morning where it rises befor the Sun. It can also be observed in daylight with the naked eye under the right conditions.

So now that we're aqainted with the meaning of Dog Days of Summer lets make the best of it. Look for Sirius in the skies as the final month of summer shines and creates, lazy, long, and hot days ahead. I feel like summer has flown by and when August arrives it creates a final choice of activities to enjoy before fall approaches. Some of the leaves on my Liquid Amber trees are already starting to turn and fall.

Have you referred to August as the Dog Days of summer?

Do you enjoy more activies in August?

images: Ideezine, google, info wiki

Fun Under Sunbrella!

2011-07-24T00:46:00.000-07:00

PTS Furniture Gallery, Thousand Oaks, CA

This week I attended a showing of Joe Ruggiero's (Designer, HGTV Host), Sunbrella Fabric's collaboration with furniture maker Miles Talbott. I have always been a fan of Sunbrella fabrics and their versatility for outdoor uses. Using Sunbrella Fabrics indoors is absolutely perfect for the way we live today with windows wide open letting the sun shine in and this year's extreme heat.

I really love the fabric collection and furniture and I'm excited about the use of Sunbrella as a stronger possibility on several projects as well as drapery projects in my own home. I spoke with Joe Ruggiero about the changes in interior design and about how he has used Sunbrella in his home for many years. I expressed the fact that the textures of the fabrics and the tailored look and prints will really appeal to male clients who don't want light patterns or soft colors in their homes.

Additionally, I spoke to Greg Rosendale, Market Manager Residential Furniture Fabrics, about our different temperature changes from one city to the next and with the durability of Sunbrella all clients can be satisfied. I had a client join me and she is really excited to learn about the extensive options she has with the fabric color choices, textures, and print designs.

Of course, I have lots of plans in my head on additional uses for Sunbrella fabrics such as: Patio/Outdoor tablecloths, napkins, grilling apron, gardening apron, cushions, patio drapery, grocery bags, tote bags, beach bags, pet bags and bedding.

For use indoors: slipcovers, table/cloths, and rounds, napkins, pillows, canopy drapes, window treatments (especially lining), duvets, shower curtains, decorative pillows, slip covers, re/upholstery projects, and lamp shades. I'm sure you can think of a few of your own.

As you click on the furniture gallery link, below, you can see bigger images of the showroom and how fabulous the fabrics look. I really love the chaise lounge, pillows, in the blue fabric and the cream duvet bed cover with the pillows. The sofa and cushions are great too.

This new collection is the result of Joe's collaboration with Sunbrella in designing upholstery for Miles Tabott furniture. The new PTS Furniture Gallery in Thousand Oaks, CA is the first of its kind. You can see more of the fabric collection HERE on the Miles Talbott.

Kathy Paul of PTS Furniture Gallery, showed me the fabric collection that are arriving and can be ordered through them. Which is: Joe Ruggiero's Sunbrella Fabric Collection In A Box, (120 fabrics), or available by contacting Miles Talbott HERE it can be ordered only if you are a designer, specifier or architect. I'll be getting one for sure. Joe, everything looks wonderful under Sunbrella! Don't you agree!

Have you used Sunbrella fabrics for any projects recently?

Do you plan on using Sunbrella fabrics in the furture if you haven't already?

images: pts furniture, JR collection, sunbrella, Miles Talbott

Law of Attraction...Chanel!

2011-07-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're familiar with the Law of Attraction, in fact, I really haven't met too many people who aren't familiar with it, due to the internet, of course. The Law of Attraction is a metaphysical thought/belief that "like attracts like". Simplified: a positive thought and a negative bring about positive and negative physical results.

Let's take this exciting example...at least for me it's exciting. This is a Chanel Wallet on a Chain purse in black patent leather and costs between $1300.00 - $1600.00 dollars. I came across these purses online about a month ago and I am crazy in love with them.

According to the Law of Attraction, the phrase "I need to have this purse" allows the subject (me) to continue to "need to have this purse". But if the subject (me) wants to change this they (I) would focus their thoughts on the goal (having this purse) rather than the problem of (needing to this purse).

By changing your thoughts you can use phrases such as: "I have this chic Chanel purse and I love it" and "This chic Chanel purse is so perfect with my patent leather shoes". So now you have the vision and words to "like attracts like" and you can move this picture onto your vision board. Within your imagination, will, and beliefs you attract what you envision having...Yippe!

The New Thought Movement, 1904-1910, claimed that thought precedes physical form and that "action of Mind plants that nucleus, which when allowed to grow will eventually attraction to itself all the conditions necessary to manifest in an outward visible form" ~ Thomas Troward

The "Law of Attraction" in Theosophy, 1915-1919: The phrase appeared in writings of the Theosophical authors William Quan Judge, 1915 and Anne Besant in 1919. The Law of Success in 16 Lessons, 1937, directly references by name in Think and Grow Rich author Napoleon Hill. One of the best selling books of all time, over 60 million copies.

Since the mid 1900s-2000 to 21st century the "Law of Attraction" was brought to hundreds of thousands of people for the first time. In versions such as the "The Secret" film by Rhonda Byrne, highlighted on The Oprah Winfrey Show just to name a couple.

This is such a wonderful reminder that your thoughts create things and justifiably a great reason to be positive at a time when many things appear not to be. Watch your thoughts and words for an hour and you'll pick up all kinds of things that you're thinking and saying. I like to remind others that positive attracts positive...not by telling someone to be positive but...by being positive towards others and myself. It works!

There are many ways this can be done and after a while others will be attracted to you because of the positive influence you have at attracting and obtaining just what you want at just the right time very time. So since we're on the subject of attraction, dreams and imaginations there's nothing better than attracting big so here's to the "Law of Attraction...Chanel!" "I have two chic Chanel wallet purses that are fantastic!

Do you realize that everything you have is all part of what you thought about prior to living it?

Have you been using the "Law of Attraction" yet just realized it today?

google images, wiki

Do You Have Hobbies?

2011-07-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

What is a hobby? It's an activity, interest, enthusiasm, amateur pastime and even an activity grown from a necessity. Hobbies are for pleasure or relaxation, done during one's leisure time.

Everyone of us has and enjoys our hobbies of choice. Whatever it may be, a hobby is something that one does to achieve a different degree of happiness and satisfaction. Hobbies and interests of people of all ages include: children, young adults, adults, and elderly.

Some generic hobbies for children are:

Treasure hunting
Riding bikes
Making friends
Skating
Physical sports
Coin and stamp collection
Board games
Reading
Martial Arts
Kite flying
Coloring and drawing
Comic books
PC games
Amusement parks
Bug and butterfly collecting
Collecting: dolls, planes, cars, and miniatures
Magic and optical illusions
Kids cooking
Music and singing
Painting
Clay dough
Gymnastics
Swimming
Pets

Just to name some of the many things children can and do start at an early age, which then sets us up, and points us in the direction of what hobbies we take on for a lifetime.

Some generic hobbies for young adults are:

Cell phones/texting
Music and musical instruments
Fashion, make-up, clothes, shoes, jewelry
Concerts/movies
Shopping
Racing, motor cycles, cars, atv's
Cooking
Room redesign
Sports in/out of school
Cosmetology
Rising animals 4H
Girl scouts, boy scouts
Photography
Surfing
Sewing
Scrap booking/crafts
Social media, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Cheer leading
Hiking/camping
Travel
Writing/blogging
Building
Earning money/jobs from a hobby
Horticulture/gardening
Specific academics for careers
College visions/plans

At this time in life patterns are setting in for the hobbies that we can excel in and really enjoy. During our summer months we work at them all the time and find new hobbies by accident through friends and acquaintances.

Some hobbies for adults are what we cultivated deeper through college. In our careers we tend to, usually, put hobbies aside due to families, travel, jobs, life events and we don't have time to work on them unless they become a career or our way of doing business as an income.

Some generic hobbies for adults that were formed in earlier years or introduced to us by friends, family, neighbors, work partners and spouses.

Smart-phones
Blogging
Photography
Gardening
Pets
Knitting/crocheting/sewing
Painting
Education again
Travel
Art and museums
Interior Design
Elder Care
Teaching your hobbies
Fishing
Biking
Boating
Event planning
Golf
Reading on computer devices
Second/reinvention of career
Living wellness, nutrition, yoga
Bird watching
Dancing
Volunteering
Wine and beer making and tasting

Of course I haven't scratched the surface of all the possible hobbies. This, of course, has changed just like the Internet and social media have changed us. I expect our hobbies to change within the next five years again.

The most unique thing about hobbies for elderly is that it is a return to the familiar in most cases. The main theme with hobbies for elderly is to remain active in the physical as well as mentally to gain more pleasure out of life.

Some generic hobbies for elderly are same as above through all phases of life:

Learning technology and using it
Watching sports
Walking/swimming
Travel
Sightseeing locally
Meeting with friends
Needlework
Puzzles
Playing cards and games
Crafts
Family near and far
Using technology tools
Pottery
Painting, sketching, drawing
Teaching
Cooking/baking/canning
Gardening
Community volunteering
Church functions
Book clubs
Theater/plays
Motor home travel
Clubs
Assisting families/agencies

We find out what we like from as a toddler with a favorite toy or book and as we grow and get exposed more a growing hobby takes hold. Personally for me, I have hobbies/interests that have changed, but I can pick them up at anytime and be right back with the skills unbroken by time. Some hobbies that are more physical of course are not always possible as we age. However, we can still enjoy them as a spectator or teach others the joys of a hobby that we have always loved.

Hobbies are beneficial for health, as calming techniques, and when spending time with other like-minded individuals. There are many wonderful things about working on hobbies they are: timeless, gain immense satisfaction, skill sets springboard to other things, accomplishment, discovery, innovation, inventions, they include involvement with others and the rewards are endless.

Do you have several hobbies that you've always loved?

Or have your hobbies changed throughout your lifetime?

Are you making time to return to a favorite hobby?

google images, buzzle.com, wiki, Mary Engelbreit

Happy 4th of July...Good Vibrations!

2011-06-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

With so much going on in our world make it a point to celebrate with a heartfelt vision of independance for those who have none.

With your excitment, happiness, and sheer delight in July 4th celebrations you ripple vibrations outward and they travel hundreds of miles across this wonderful earth. That is what celebration is all about...something touching everyone.

Have a safe (especially for pets), memorable time with great food, friends, family, and fireworks.

image google

Summer's Here...Time for Flip-flops!

2011-06-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

Happy first day of summer! You know what that means. Time to pull out all your pairs of flip-flops and evaluate their state of wear-ability for another summer. If some don't make the cut then it's time to invest in some new ones. There are many to choose from, colors, styles, patterns, decorations, simple leather or embellished. It's all your choice and that's the fun part!

Flip-flops, thongs, or sandals, flippies or jandals are open typed of footwear, consisting of a flat sold held loosely on your foot by a Y-shaped strap, that passed between the first and second toes on both feet. Flip-flops may also be a single strap over the entire front of your foot instead of between the toes.

Now for a bit of history (love it). The traditional woven soled Japanese zori had been used as beach wear in the South Pacific since the 1930's. In the post war period in both New Zealand and America, versions were briefly popularized by servicemen returning from occupied Japan.

The use of flip-flops has been encouraged in some branches of European and North American military as sanitary footwear in communal showers, where wearing flip-flops slows the spread of fungal infections. Some soldiers and other trampers or hikers have begun carrying flip-flops, or a pair of flip-flop soles sewn to socks as a lightweight emergency replacement for damaged boots.

The latest design was invented in Ackland, New Zealand by Morris Yock in the 50's and patened in 1957. John Cowie was a English-raised businessman who started a plastics manufacturing business in Hong Kong after the war. His children claim that it was Cowie that started manufacturing a plastic version of the sandals in the late 1940's and that Yock was just a New Zealand importer. Cowie children also say their father claim to have invented the name "jandal" from a shortened form of Japanese Sandal. John Cowie and his family emigrated to New Zealand in 1959.

The word jandal is a trademark since 1957. In Australia they are known as thongs. The first pair were manufactured there by Dunlap in 1960. They became popular there after being worn by the Australian Olympic swimming team at the Melborne Olympic Games in 1956. In the UK and U.S. they are known as flip-flops.

Flip-flops may have been familiar in the U.S. in the mid 19th century. They now come in a variety of shoe styles other than a the traditional flat sandal, such as heels, slides, and wedges (1 1/2, 2 1/2). They're everywhere in every store and are not just for the beach. If your budget doesn't allow for designer flip-flops there are endless ways around it by creating your own unique embellishments.

Uses and fashion flip-flops are a popular type of footwear common in India, and Pakistan and called a Hawaii chappal, South Africa, Brazil, Panama, the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia. In most developing countries rubber flip-flops are the cheapest footwear available and often cost less that a dollar.

Flip-flops are so popular with all those whose who enjoy being barefoot but need to wear shoes, because they allow the foot to breathe, be out in the open and still constitute a shoe for wear in places such as: restaurants, city streets, and business establishments. They can be removed quickly and easily and are perfect for pedicures, as driving shoes, slip ons for quick errands, shopping, weddings, out to lunch with friends and family gatherings.

They're comfortable and with a bit of bling (my favorite kind) they take on a formal appearance and are worn for many special occasions and can be found in an assortment of colors and patterns...just google flip-flops it's endless.

On July 19, 2005, some members of Northern University's national champion women's lacrosse team were criticized for wearing "flip-flops" to the White House to meet with President George W. Bush. The women pointed out that their shoes were not "beach shoes," but were dressier thong sandals.

I thought they were called flip-flops because of the sound they make when you walk...who knew? Just goes to show you everything has a history and a story to discover. I bought my first pair in junior high school and they've really become a real fashion statement all year long here in Cailfornia. I currently own three glitter pairs (black glitter on black, gold glitter on brown, silvler glitter on gray) and two pairs of brown leather (one pair flat and one wedge heel).

So to have the most fun wearing your flip-flops I highly reccomend keeping your pedicures in check...no chipped paint, uneven nails, or dryed out cuticles there's no excuse for it and it gives your toes something to be happy about afterall they do a great deal for us...we can't go anywhere without them...lol!

Big question is how many pairs of flip-flops do you own?

Are you adding to your flip-flops in different colors or styles this summer?

images google, wiki

Happy Father's Day Weekend...

2011-06-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

May it be blessfully peaceful from beginning till end.

To all Dad's in the world this weekend...simply enjoy!

image Mary Engelbreit Illustrations

So...This is a Courting Chair?

2011-06-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well what is a courting chair? A courting chair is an earlier style of a love seat. First introduced in the second half of the seventeenth century and popular during the Baroque period. There are several names for this chair: courting chair, conversation chair, a tete-a-tete chair which means (face to face) in french.

As you can see this chair is for two people to sit close and enjoy an intimate close conversation. This arrangement was used to imply that a man could "court" a woman as they enjoyed conversation together in this double chair. This style can be used indoors or outdoors as you can see. I have the outdoor style courting chair in my courtyard (picture above) just like this one.

The courting chair is a double-chair created by conjoining two chairs together. Materials used to create these chairs were often made of craved wood with upholstered backs and seats. The shape of these chairs is an S-shape formed in a way that allows two people to sit extremely close together without touching. Two chairs are separated by an arm rest which is shared by each seat.

As you can see in these modern reproductions they are still produced and most of the ones here are used for the outdoor garden settings. Or as very light furniture in a minimalist indoor settings.

The evolution of the courting chair is now what we refer to as a love seat. On upholstered couches with a large seat and loose cushions, no armrest separation in the center, and the location of these pieces, in the home, are in the living rooms, family rooms, master suites and our office spaces.

I was first introduced to these great chairs in my 3-dimensional art class in college and as a team with art/ other classmates we had to create a piece of furniture, out of paper, that would support our weight. We created one of these courting chairs out of cardboard and to our surprise and amazement it was strong, held our weight, and was really fun to create.

Modern versions of this chair have a fresh appeal, they're colorful, and seem, animated and appealing to a wider client. The courting chair styles, for me, look sexy in any of the materials.

What do you think of the courting chair?

Do you have a favorite?

top photo by Ideezine, photo's google,

wiki, ehow

Tower of Powerful Obelisk Art

2011-06-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

I was in the hills of Santa Clarita, California enjoying the city and snapping away as it was just beautiful weather. Clear, warm and with a slight breeze. Out for a hike up nearby mountains and I was struck by the impact of and power of presence in the transmission towers there.

This got me thinking about how artistic these towers of power are, and how they began to look and feel after a short time. They feel imposing, very sculptural, great lattice design, lots of black steel (industrial), powerful against the clear blue sky. Love it!

A transmission tower is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. They're used in high-voltage AC and DC systems, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

Typical height ranges from 49 to 180 ft. and heights in excess of 980 ft. exists. Besides being constructed of steel, concrete, and with some are wood.

Four major functions of transmission towers are: suspension towers, terminal towers, tension towers, and transposition towers. Methods to reduce the visual impact of this towers is to put them underground.

"Transmission tower" is the name for the structure used in the industry in the United Kingdom, U.S., and other English-speaking countries. The term "pylon" comes from the basic shape of the structure, an obelisk-like structure that tapers toward the top, and is mostly used in the U.K. and parts of Europe in everyday colloquial speech.

This term is rarely used in the U.S., as the word "pylon" is common for traffic cones. In Canada, the term "hydro tower" comes from the name of local hydroelectric power utility companies.

Transmission towers and their overhead power lines are considered to be a form of visual pollution. I never gave it much thought, however, I really see them as being environmental art pieces in plain sight.

Great subject for photography, pencil and ink sketching, and landscape designs, additionally, with a backdrop of sky colors ranging from bright daylight to soft sunset skies and on clear, cloudy, or rainy days.

What are your thoughts about transmission towers do you notice them as art?

Or do you view them as visual pollution?

images by Ideezine, wiki

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hope it's safe, restful, relaxing and shared with family and friends. Take some time to reflect on all those who have afforded us these moments in our lifetime.

google images