I was in UrbanOutfitters the other day. I love their quirky home department...You can find trendy stuff for very reasonable prices. Great for the college lifestyle but even I bought a fun bird tree for my necklaces and college was some time ago for me. I also stumbled across some giclee art by UK artist Kate Sutton. Her graphics are fresh and sarcastic for lack of a better word. Her website is equally intriguing. I have a feeling some of my crafting friends may find a little inspiration here. sleepycow.com
Mother's Day Gift Idea #2
OK Miss Karla, here is Mother's Day Gift Idea #2. :-) Yummy Bamboo Jammies (so soft & great for yoga) and/or Sleepy Fleece Bathrobes from Pine Cone Hill. These aren't on my website yet but they are in my showroom so if anyone is interested in ordering just shoot me an email! I also carry the entire Pine Cone Hill Bedding line...Divine! http://www.pineconehill.com
On another note: I finally figured out how to add links to my blog...that's OK it only took me half a year. :D These are just a few. I will be adding as I recall them all! Yay!
Wear Your Crown!
For Mother's Day I can't think of a more appropriate gift than one of my signature crown pins. I actually have a special one for MOM just in time for Mother's Day. Each one of my crown pins comes beautifully wrapped in my pink box and gift bag. It's quite a presentation! The card I wrote says:
You've Earned Your Crown If: You Give Thoughtful Introductions, You Write Thank You Notes, You Work Hard, You Love Children, You Teach Patiently, You're A Good Friend, You Sing Loudly, You Dance For Fun, You Smile At Others, You Volunteer, You Love Animals, You Accept Challenges Gracefully, You Turn Problems Into Opportunities, You Do The Best You Can, You Never Say Can't, You Share Your Gifts With The World!
This is kind of my manifesto in life and I always feel so proud when I see someone wearing one of my crown pins. It means someone thinks they are really great and special...we all need appreciation now and then and this is such a simple, yet powerful way to show someone you care about them...that's a lot of bang for $10!
I carry other crowns that do not say MOM too... So that's Mother's Day Gift Idea #1! More to come...
Getting Your Foot In The Door!
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a beautiful weekend...
I was looking around for a unique gift and cruising through my list of tried and true bookmarks which landed me at one of my favorite sites. http://www.spoonsisters.com
I had to crack up at this and thought it was a fun way to start the week. Talk about getting your foot in the door!
A Darling Hostess Gift!
I'm having all kinds of fun in my showroom this week. Easter has really arrived! I've also added some of my new art which is very exciting....(I will have a whole new line out by Aril 15th! Woohoo!) but that's an entry for another time. I just put out a new display of Funktion Mother/Daughter Aprons. The are to-die-for-cute! What a killer hostess gift! I wear mine with jeans...such a fun and funky look. Going to a cocktail or dinner party? Here you go! You know where you can get them! Mari Robeson Home in the Village or at http://www.funktionhome.com
Sienna Grace!
I met Cindy through a close friend. She is a vibrant and bright light. When I saw her she was wearing a stunning necklace. I asked her about it because I had never seen anything like it. She told me that she designed it. She uses very old Chinese pottery chards and the chains are embellished with semi precious stones. Divine! Each piece is different and conveys a unique feeling. Soooooo, of course I said, "Can you make 30 by Valentine's Day?" ....and a new business was launched! Sienna Grace! I am so proud of Cindy for bringing her talent into the world and I am even more thrilled that she will be showing her collection for the first time at my showroom this Friday! You are all invited to a very fun Valentine's Day Trunk Show and Artist's Reception from 4:00 - 7:00pm!
Fabulous On The Fairway!
I came across these the other day and thought that they were very cute. I don't even golf! I mean, I try, but it's quite pathetic... Regardless, these golf accessories are yummy. A must have for the Diva of the Green. I really like this site. They have a nice assortment of unique items. Here's to being fabulous on the fairway! http://www.roomservicehome.com
Hmmmm Clever!
Hmmmm....interesting enough for me to think this is pretty clever. It's a roll of adhesive tape that is designed to look like an ornate picture frame. That just opens up all kinds of possibilities for wall decor. I like it, two thumbs up on this one... http://www.chocosho.com
Sis Boom Fabulous!
I don't know how I haven't stumbled across this amazing artist before. My goodness she's in just about every magazine (and rightfully so). I myself, do quite a bit of collage art so when I came across her blog and read how she creates a new journal every New Year, I almost fell off my chair. I suppose that's a "not so original idea" but it is how she creates her journals, exploding with color and collage. I was told by a professor back when I was in college to keep a journal every year. I've kept one ever since and it is so interesting to look back through them and see how my life has evolved. I would encourage everyone to play with the idea of journal writing. It's very relaxing and therapeutic. Check out Jennifer Paganelli's blog and I'm sure you'll be inspired! http://jenniferpaganelli.typepad.com Her website's great too! http://www.sisboom.com
Sassy Stickers!
Well, are your Holiday cards in the mail yet? Believe me, no guilt here, mine aren't done yet either! It's on my agenda this week though. I've talked about Cavallini Papers before. I'm so in love with their graphics. I'm planning on using their holiday stickers which are so much fun and cherry. Of course you can get them at Mari Robeson Home in the Village of Arroyo Grande...ha ha...or check out their website for a list of locations to buy. Happy Writing! http://www.cavallini.com
Paper Terrific!
Living in a small town it's always quite a treat to head to the city to shop. I know we have the wonderful world wide web but sometimes you just want to go and look and experience those cool little boutiques that line Any Town USA. One of my favorite downtown areas is 4th St. in Berkely. There are so many great stores there. One of my favorite being Paper Source... It takes my breath away. They are so unique in there approach to paper goods...So if you haven't done your cards yet you may want to check them out. Happy Holidays! Don't forget, hot cider and cookies at the showroom this weekend!
http://flwww.paper-source.com
Show Me The Splitter Guy!!!
OMG! What a gnarly day! At one minute we thought our phone would be hooked up, an hour later I was being told that the "Splitter Guy" would need to come out first...that turned into being bumped to the bottom of the list, somewhere in some dark hole to the date of Dec. 11th! On a brighter note PG&E hooked up the building and there is a very possible chance I may have power TOMORROW! I'll believe it when I see it...(OK allow me a small pitty party here). It would be nice to have some music while I do my final set up this weekend....which leads me to what makes me happy, and that's my family, my friends, my art, and all these little treasures I can't wait to share!!! I'm going to keep the Faith...that said...5 days and counting...
I LOVE this line of jewelry by Pick Up Sticks. These are two very talented woman whose work is campy and fun. You'll have to pop in and check it out!
Wrapping Wonderland!
I absolutely love receiving gifts that are thoughtfully wrapped! This is so easy to do even for the creatively challenged... An easy way to achieve this is with a simple photograph. Now days almost everyone has access to a copy machine, scanner, or digital output. Printed out on light weight card stock and embellished with a little ribbon, you just can't go wrong with this yummy idea. I also like to do this at kids birthday parties. When wrapping is flying, they always stop to enjoy the card. (One week to Open!!!)
Hostess Gift Ideas!
I'm fascinated with this website and thoroughly intrigued by the graphics on their products. These metal birds are so unique and sweet. I also love the dish towels on this site. I think dish towels, especially ones like these, are simply lovely hostess gifts. So if you've been fortunate to be invited to be a guest at Thanksgiving dinner, please be considerate enough to bring something to contribute to the meal as well as a thoughtful hostess gift. Flowers, tea towels, lotions & soaps and always a hand written note. You'll be sure to be invited back. http://www.roseandradish.com
Dynamite Denise!
I've been an artist all my life but it never ceases to amaze me that there is still so much to learn. Today I spent with my friend Denise who is an AMAZING ARTIST! Not only that, she is a wonderful friend and kindred female entrepreneur. Denise is a dynamite stick of talent! Today she was so lovely to share her golden equipment with me and teach me the art of stenciling. I have 3 more walls to go and quite a bit to hand paint too but thanks to my friend I learned all new fun art stuff today. When covering a large wall you just can't beat stencils... A great place to purchase them is at http://www.modellodesigns.com
Ha Ha... No this is not my showroom...you'll just have to wait and see what I come up with for that. :-)
Pony Tails To Pillows!
Being a designer I often make my own custom bedding, drapes, and upholstery, and being a Mom of three little girls, I've done my share of pony tails. How? You say, do the two relate to one another? A couple years ago my Divine friend Danielle (Divine Danielle) gave my daughter some pony tail holders with a faux fur pom pom. They are a huge hit whenever she wears them. (I even wear them occasionally!) So when I was shopping at http://www.mjtrim.com I came across a similar Pom Pom. I thought it's not only great for hair but what about pillows or on the corners of a throw...you see how my mind works....pony tails to pillows! This is a fun site to find unique embellishments. Enjoy!
Design Star!
Well, did you watch the finale of Design Star last night? Shaunah (my extremely talented niece) is back here with me for a few more weeks before going back for her last year of Interior Design at U.C. Davis. We've had many discussions about the show "Design Star" on HGTV. One thing I found to be most interesting is that, to some degree, it doesn't matter what pedigree of design education you have...it really boils down to your inner aesthetic. You can only be taught so much, and yes, there are design rules, but what it really comes down to is you either have it or you don't. I'm certainly not saying that you should skip college and just call yourself a designer like Bobby Trendy (Anna Nicole Smith's reality show designer)...that was hilarious!!!! It's very important to study the elements and history of design but as you can see with the show it was definitely very important to be able to think and solve problems quickly. My vote without a doubt was for David. He is a true artist. Last night he did a zen bedroom which was beautiful and he handled the exterior space as well. Alice did a children's room (which is David's specialty ironically and mine too). I felt she missed the boat completely. She called it her "Alice in Wonderland" room which made no sense except that it's her name? Whatever, there was no "wonder" there at all. What she really missed was just decorating the interior space (in a very none creative, traditional way - where's the magic???) instead of encompassing the outside in her design. So you can tell who we voted for...the final episode is Wed., Sept 6th, where they announce who America voted for. Let's see if America agrees with me. http://www.HGTV.com
Design Star!
So how many of you out there are watching Design Star on HGTV? This has been my latest favorite! I'm personally rooting for David. I love how he uses his artistic abilities as well as his sense of design. Sunday night is the final show...America votes! http://www.HGTV.com
The Perfect Dahlia!
Well, welcome back to school! Yikes! Not one week into it and we all seamlessly get our share of the ever popular head cold, congestion, head ache, overall energy loss....ugggg! So as I lay in bed with my box of tissues watching Project Runway reruns and feeling sorry for myself I remind myself that this too shall pass. A saying my Dad is famous for... Today I awoke a lot stronger, still congested but definitely more alive. I think God gives us days like these to remind us to appreciate the simple things we take for granted, like breathing, and laughter, and flowers, and blue skies. So here are some pictures of some simple, yet beautiful dahlias from my neighbor Marylou's garden. (I'm convinced she has magic garden dust she spreads on everything because they are always so magnificent!) One more good nights sleep and I'll be back to myself...thank you God!! So no great design find today. Hmmmm....actually, probably the greatest design find of all. The Perfect Dahlia! Color, Health and Joy to you all.
French General...ou la la!
OK, so you know that saying that we all know each other within six people? I came across this fabulous store by way of a friend of my baby sitter who's friend owns this boutique...got that? I've never been to the actual store (because I'm scared to drive in LA) but I love this website. It's like going to Paris on your laptop...Simply enchanting! http://www.FrenchGeneral.com
