Hope everyone is staying warm and lifting with their knees when they shovel, it's crazy out there lately. I drove down to New York last Friday to attend NYNOW, formerly NYIGF, the gift show at the Javits Center. In two and a half days—and 2700+ pictures later—I walked every single aisle of the show and saw some great products. Mostly, I was really excited to be back in New York and to see a lot of the vendors I haven't seen in a while, since I missed the last three shows (not sure how that time flew so quickly). It was great to catch up with people and this was my first time experiencing the show since they changed the format and rebranded. I think it worked out well to have all the home companies under one roof, though as I walked the show, I realized there were several brands that I didn't see. I'm hoping they'll be there in August. At any rate, I'm looking forward to sharing the things that I saw over the next weeks and months. In addition to new and interesting products, the booths themselves are often styled creatively. Here are just a few fun things I noticed: Xx a
0 Comments
There are all kinds of resolutions that can be made when the calendar flips to a new year. And while trying to improve ourselves is always worthy, I think the best goals are the ones that involve helping others and making our communities or world a better place to live in.
On Serena & Lily's website, I found the World Repair Kit. Inside the kit is a guidebook, stamps, stickers, and a passport to track progress. It is geared for children, but also for families to work together. The kit fosters engagement with the world around us and gives children a sense of agency and lets them know that they can help to make meaningful change. Throughout the guidebook, kids are encouraged to believe in themselves and to create goals to work toward. The guidebook's illustrations are graphic and fun, and clearly illustrate big concepts in easy to understand ways. I love this kit because it empowers kids to take on serious issues in age-appropriate language and also offers them ways to help that play to their individual interests or talents: Issues discussed include homelessness, environmental conservation, protecting endangered species, hands-on ways to help those in need of clean water, shelter, food, education, and health care, and being a good citizen of the world. Holding a clothing drive or bake sale, creating friendship bracelets to sell, and hosting a world repair party are just some of the kid-friendly ideas suggested. 100% of the profits from the kit go to the Serena & Lily Foundation which funds youth initiatives worldwide. Though the kit is recommended and most appropriate for kids ages 8 and up, it's never too early to teach children about the world and our place in it, and our responsibility for making it better. My non-personal goal this year is to do more volunteering because I really miss it, and I want to get my four-year-old daughter involved. My parents involved us in service projects at a young age and I have no doubt that it played a significant role in my lifelong interest in volunteering and affected my perspective on the world. I distinctly remember going with my parents to load bags for a food bank to deliver, my earliest memory of volunteering. Since then I've helped package meals, cook meals, serve meals, organized a toy drive, helped shop for winter necessities for families, all for various organizations, but I know I can, and should, do so much more. Do you volunteer? Do you involve your kids? I'd love to hear about the causes that matter to you! I am supremely honored to share that I am featured as a trendsetter on Zinc Door's feature Wishlists From The Pros. Zinc Door is a great decor resource and I've worked with them for years and it's been a pleasure. It was so much fun picking out these products, especially the tete-a-tete, which I desperately want, and the glass pendant (swoon).
Thank you Zinc Door for the opportunity! What a great way to start the new year! Xx a Now that we're just under a week away from Christmas (what?!), the holiday cards are starting to roll in. I'm grateful I got the bulk of mine out a few days ago, but I still have a few I want to send. I enjoy receiving holiday cards, seeing the pictures of everyone and hearing how people from our past and present are doing. I like to keep the cards out during the holidays so we can enjoy them and think of the people who thought of us, but sometimes it's hard to find a nice way to display them.
Of course, I've seen them placed along the mantel and I've seen them tied with string or ribbon and hung on a stairway bannister, or randomly pinned up everywhere, but I like something a little more put together. So, in a throwback of sorts--for Thursday, naturally--I wanted to share this idea I've always liked from David Stark. He, being the genius event planner/producer, put this together for O at Home magazine (may it rest in peace) back in 2007 when I worked there; though much to my dismay, I did not get to work on this story. Anyway, he took a piece of solid insulation material, which seems to be available for relatively cheap at the hardware store, and covered it in a beautiful pink dupioni silk. Then he pinned holiday cards to the board in the shape of a tree, adding ornaments, garland, and other fun elements creating something really special and festive. I love this and it's quite customizable because you can choose a fabric that coordinates with a certain room, or if your holiday decor has a specific theme or color scheme, you can match that, as David did here with the palette shown in this part of the story. Here, coordinating packages and ornaments on the bannister and chandelier also speak to the overall theme. I also love this scheme because it uses black, which most people don't think to use at Christmas, but I always endorse a little drama, contrast, and sophistication. My husband didn't understand when I bought black ornaments last year, but ha! If it's good enough for David Stark, it's good enough for me. You can copy the tree design or try a star or any other sort of pattern to hang the cards. And during the off-season, you could select a different fabric and display your children's art or other personal ephemera on it. Do you display your holiday cards in a special way? My very creative friend Chris (she's pursuing a career in puppeteering, so cool!) shared a link to this post about the work of Korean artist Lee JeeYoung. I found Lee's work fascinating, not only because there is no Photoshop or photo manipulation involved, but because her work is a study in self-expression and a quest to delve into different parts of her identity.
She constructs elaborate installations in her studio and then inserts herself into the scene (never facing forward) as part of an attempt to create a tangible expression of thoughts, feelings, and desires. The studio is only about 10 feet by 20 feet in size. Lee spends weeks, sometimes months, transforming this space over and over again into fantastical settings inspired by her surroundings and experiences, as well as cultural influences and fables. It's a cathartic way of working out inner conflict and I love the way each iteration speaks to a different part of who she is. I so admire people who are this creative and can turn an imaginative fantasy into something visual and whimsical. In a way it reminds me of something that has stuck with me since childhood and I think of often: In the Beverly Cleary book Ramona and Beezus, Beezus feels like she doesn't have any imagination and she's struggling for inspiration in her art class. After kicking Ramona out of the art class and trying to reclaim it as her own, she decides to paint Ramona's invisible lizard, and it evolves into a dragon with cotton-candy flames, lollipop scales, and a lemon drop eye. Sometimes when I'm feeling less than inspired, I think of the dragon painting and try to remember there's always another way of seeing things. Here are some of my favorite photographs from Lee's series. I just returned from a little shopping trip with my mother-in-law. My birthday is Sunday and she took me to a couple stores so I could try on things; she usually chooses a few items to buy for my birthday and Christmas from the selection of what I try on and like, and today I noticed a significant pattern in what I was pulling. See? I love brights, but I was just drawn to the black and white and gray pieces. I tried on a few other things, but the fit wasn't right. Also there was a really (disturbingly) large amount of lamé pants and crop tops in one store in particular and I just can't go there. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I felt like posting about today. But when I logged into Pinterest, thanks to the incomparable David Stark, the answer was right in front of me. He must be feeling similarly inspired because he just posted a handful of black & white striped images. So, far be it from me to ignore the signs. Some lovely, classic inspiration to send us off into our holiday. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah! Xx a Insert obligatory sentence about how I can't believe Thanksgiving is only a week away. We are still at that age and stage in our lives when our parents host the holidays, so while we host a lot of less-formal gatherings, we have yet to host a big family holiday meal. Right now, I'm okay with that, but I do look forward to hosting sometime, maybe when the girls are just a bit older and can both feed themselves fully!
I have wonderful memories of a Thanksgiving in Hoboken (pre-children) when I had to work during the day at my retail job and some great friends came over for a late dinner. We cooked an excellent meal, I had a special woodsy centerpiece made at the florist, we used our wedding silver and china (Wedgwood Oberon, goes great with a fall palette), and we had a great time. I felt like such a grown-up. It was so much fun. Until we host again I shall live a bit vicariously. I've pinned a few of my favorite table ideas (and some additional inspiration) for Thanksgiving to a board on Pinterest. Check them out and if you're so inclined, feel free to follow me, too! I haven't been pinning as much as I'd like lately, but hoping to change that soon. Do you host Thanksgiving? How do you style your table? When piles of projects come home from school, it can be a little overwhelming to figure out what to do with them. Save? Toss? Display? Aerin Lauder, of Estée Lauder and Aerin, has a beautiful and simple solution to display the art and really enjoy it every day. This shot from an old Elle Decor story shows how Lauder wonderfully incorporated her children and their creative masterpieces in this cozy kitchen nook at her East Hampton house. I'm kind of dying to jump into this picture to have juice and a parfait at that banquette.
I like that the art and her children's super adorable portraits, offset by pale blue walls above the shelf, are mixed with a Jeff Koons vase. Even though the vase is high end, its shaggy puppy shape is fun and feels right in this room. Don't be afraid to have adult and kid things in the same space. As someone currently living in a house where four generations of my family have now lived, I'm a fan of how Lauder carried on (but updated) the house's blue-and-white palette—honoring her grandmother Estée, whose house and favorite color combo these were. Speaking of this house and kids, our double-header birthday parties for the girls are tomorrow so we're off to pick up supplies, treats, clean the house, and decorate. It should be a lot of fun and we're looking forward to it. Hope everyone has a great weekend! As a result of my work, I find myself noticing interiors in atypical places such as my daughters' books. Every time I read Goodnight Moon, I wonder if the color scheme of that bedroom would translate well in reality. I think this bathroom, from the original Amelia Bedelia book, still looks fresh, though I would skip the green tile and sink in favor of white versions.
The mixed patterns of stripe and floral are a classic combination and the room could go traditional or modern depending on the patterns, fixtures, and accessories chosen. I couldn't help but take a look for ways to bring this room to life (after the jump). I can't decide if I would keep the sink and shower fixtures gold/brass; what do you think? In middle school and high school, I realized that though I was weird, quirky, creative, and some of my closest friends were art kids, I was not an art kid. There was some overlap, and I tried to take more art classes in college, when I could fit them in. But as much as I love visual arts, images, and design, I am better with words.
Similarly, as an adult, I am not an artist, stylist, or designer, but I work with them, write about them, and get to be partially immersed in that world. I'm trying to learn more from them. The creativity is always inspiring me to look at things differently and sparks my own ideas. When this image from Vintage Revivals (above) happened to pop up in my stream on Pinterest, I was very intrigued. |
#checkout this blog with shop-themed puns
archives
August 2014
categories
All
© 2014 | mrkt
|