I recently discovered a new wedding and design inspired blog called You Love Me and It's Heavenly, by Carlene, a fellow Filipina graphics gal and bride to be. Above are two of her heavenly illustrations! If you're wedding bound, this blog is a must read!
I hope you all enjoy spending time with the women that have shaped your lives! Many peace and blessings to the women of the world. May you continue to shine your light and your love!
Featured Event Theme: Coral Fixation via ThirteenMinutes Magazine
This post is inspired by an amazing fashion spread I saw in ThirteenMinutes, an avant garde Asian American magazine. I just love this sleek and modern take on the traditional "Seaside" theme. Coral is fascinating with it's varying textures and dynamic forms. Hair styling by Philippe Paschkes, photography by Richard Warren, and makeup by Viktorija Bowers. Seashell takeout favor idea by Pink Pearls, rare black coral ring by Art Deco Rings, modern seashore tablescape by Rebecca Thuss, and coral sea shell arrangement by Zofia Design.
How about helping your mom refresh her personal space with these gorgeous and eco-friendly elements from Gaiam! Sweet and sentimental, this allium inspired organic cotton bedding set, and embroidered fair trade silk chrysanthemum throw pillow, are sure to set a soothing and blissful mood. Create a corner for tea and reflection with this beautiful and sustainable tea table and cushion set. And lastly, help her create a zen atmosphere with a combination of a natural rock & resin fountain, inner peace sculpture and some enlightening paisely wall sconces.
Carol's Daughter is an amazing hair and beauty product line with roots in Brooklyn and an awesome story of dedication and entrepreneurship (read her memoir! Success Never Smelled So Sweet: How I Followed My Nose and Found my Passion). In the mid 90s, the Tui Hair Oil was given to me by a friend in Brooklyn (Guava, mango and passionfruit ~ smells so good!). At that time all of the products were handmade and packaged in the kitchen of Carol's Daughter, Lisa Price, and you could only get it at a small shop in Brooklyn. Now, Carol's Daughter has an amazing Body Shop-like store in Harlem on 125th St., many locations nationwide and celebrity support from the likes of Mary J. Blige and Jada Pinkett Smith. I highly recommend all of the gift sets available and promise that your mom and you with both enjoy the tantalizing scents and luxurious butters!
I drove by the Escada boutique and was inspired by the window display. I just love the color story for the Summer 2008 collection. With saturated brights and sophistication, this palette of purple, fuschia, orange, caramel and chocolate would be an amazing color theme for a wedding, shower or special event.
Next to the color pegs, you will see some beautiful Mokara Orchids that could be used to carry this theme. For you event planners and DIY brides, check out FiftyFlowers.com for bulk flowers, DIY flower combos and wholesale prices. They even carry organic roses. Gerbera daisies come in these lush colors as well! Flip through Organic Style magazine and read about B&H Flowers an amazing organic gerbera daisy farm in California. Make sure to watch the cool video tour on pg 37.
P.S. Christy Turlington looks gorgeous in this ad campaign (did you know her mother was Salvadoran?)! She's simply stunning!
I'm really diggin' these modern Asian inspired Baby Announcements from Fine Stationary! When baby gets bigger, I would highly recommend getting a custom silhouette/cameo print. Click here to see what I mean. So cute and modern!
If you're into textiles, like I am, you'll probably have a shelf full of beautiful fabric waiting for you to make something out of it. Mine usually end up as temporary table runners or pillow covers. Sorry to do this to you, but you're gonna want to add to your collection! Fabric and Art is a great online source for a well edited selection of fabrics from around the world ~ many of which are fair trade, organic and sustainable. You'll find Japanese and Asian inspired cotton prints, Fair Trade Silks and Brocades, Fair Trade Batiks, Organic Cotton, Hemp, Soy and Bamboo Jersey, Eco-dyed Cottons, African Prints, Aboriginal Art Prints, Indian wovens, and Silk Brocade. Shown above from left to right - Japanese Print, Silk Brocade, African Batik, Indian Woven Stripe, Asian Print and Aboriginal Art print. Enjoy!
I've always loved Angela Adams' graphic and modern collection of rugs and home accessories in soothing shapes and color palettes. But did you know that you can now buy chocolate cookies imprinted with Angela Adams signature patterns? Also available are jams made in Maine, stationary, journals, photo albums, pillows, sachets, candles, glassware, trays, and so much more.
This gave me the idea for a fun and easy DIY party theme. One could easily recreate similar modish graphics for a cohesive wedding or shower presentation. If you can't design the graphic yourself, ask one of your graphic design friends to do it for you or head to the nearest gift store for some cool scrapbook or gift wrap paper. Keep your invite white and plain and then add a touch of the graphic as a belly band around the invite or as a side strip or as a circle or square emblem. Match your envelopes to one of the colors in your pattern. Take your pattern throughout your event related goodies like your program, favors, cake, guestbook, tablescapes, etc. There are so many possibilities!
I wish I could make it to Beijing this August! There is no end to the cuteness created for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing! These five friendly characters are the official Olympic mascots called "Fuwa," whose name signifies friendship, peace and good wishes to children worldwide.
The Fuwa embody the natural characteristics of four of China’s most popular animals – the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow – and the Olympic Flame. Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name – a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow. When you put their names together – Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni, which means “Welcome to Beijing” in Chinese. (**Isn't that so cute and awesome! I love it!**)
The campaign for the 2008 Olympic Games is really inspiring as well. Did you know that "8" is an auspicious number in Chinese culture? It's because the number eight "ba" sounds like "prosper" or "wealth." As you can imagine, the good fortune of the Olympics in Beijing will start on 8:08:08 pm on the eight day of the eighth month in 2008. (As a side note, this is really cool info for me because my birthday is on August 18, and my knickname as a baby was Jingjing, lol!)
Check out the cute Beijing merchandise at ChinaSprout.
I realy like the boldness, the color, the modernity and the mix of white, black, and wood elements in this modern ethnic vibe from Vogue Living Australia via Style Files.
Beauty and light is what you get with this really cool Blossom Wall Light by Duffy London. It's a beautiful canvas photo print illuminated with a backlight. This artwork could work well at home or as a store display!
I'm in awe of Osborne & Little's spectacular collection of luxury wallpaper, fabric and furnishings. I really like the mid century modern inspired curved sofas and the rich color & texture!
Ok, so you saw my condo remodel, but you probably didn't know that my mom lived next door to me in her own condo. Now she's selling her unit. Since sustainability means using what you already have I used my own furniture and decor to help her stage the place. These black wood lacquer pieces are vintage finds from an artist in Vietnam. They showcase all the seasons in hand painted gold metallic style. See more photos and the Real Estate flyer here (vFlyer.com is so cool!)
Kiss The Earth poem adapted from Thich Nhat Hanh: Buddhism in Action, by Maura D. Shaw (Skylight Paths, 2004). For some additional inspiration I highly recommend any book by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. Peace is Every Step is one of my favorite reads.
Take a moment now to watch this earth inspiring clip from the Planet Earth Series by BBC via KarmaTube
Uphold the well being of the planet & celebrate Earth Day in style...enliven your inner space with some modern organic green! Treat the planet, it's inhabitants and yourself to these charitable & eco-chic floral arrangements. Each of these beautiful organic bouquets not only support the environment, but they give back to the beautiful people of the world. Pick up some flowers this week and feel good about the world you live in! You'll be happy to know that these blooms are also delivered in gorgeous sustainable packaging. Trust me, this will be an awesome experience! Don't forget to compost these lovely things of beauty and they will be enjoyed forever.
Featured Event Designer: Mints Flower - Alameda, CA
"We believe flowers and plants are the most peaceful creatures on earth; their riches in colors, scents, and varieties simply bring life into a room and create an ambience for relaxation."
You must check out the fantastic global modern and ikebana inspired floral creations by Mints Flower where "East Meets West in Style". Mints Flower is a nouveau retail florist with a fantastic wedding service and fashionable gifts and decor. These images are from their wedding gallery. Click here for more photos.
Please have a look at these inspiring greeting cards by Compendium. The card shown here has a nice lotus graphic and reads "Be Happiness itself." on the outside and "Be a Birthday." on the inside. There are many other wonderful expressions and best of all of these cards are printed with soy ink and the paper is FSC certified 100% recycled stock. Each card has a different environmental tip on the back and a portion of your purchase goes directly to organizations that protect the environment.
Create a mindful corner of your home centered around one of these beautiful Zen Images by a Sogetsu Ikebana master named Astrid Stadt or Baiko, (the Japanese name for "plum blossom" that was awarded to her when she became a Sensei). You can purchase Baiko's work as a fine art giclee print here and here. Also, be sure to read the Zen Images blog for some wonderful floral inspiration!
Hervé Gambs Creations is an incredible collection that offers
aromatic candles, interior fragrances, fabric floral creations, and unique vases and vessels. Hervé Gambs is a world reknown Parisian designer with a background in architecture/textile design and an amazing passion for modern nature. I'm absolutely taken by the lushness and intricacies of these permanent couture florals and the elegance of his collection of ceramic accoutrements. I've never been taken with faux foliage (aka "silk" flowers - aka not really made of silk) but with my background in apparel design, I am in love with the idea of realistic fabric florals. In similar fashion, I adore the "Coffret" - which is a room spray that includes a fabric flower diffuser that you spritz for a refreshing and decorative ambiance (see photo above). When I open up my own boutique I will definitely carry this fabulous collection. But for now check out these online resources for the Hervé Gambs collection. Chopin Chemists | Napa Home | Hervé Gambs Boutique
"It is my pleasure to invite you to discover my universe; infused by the desire to sophisticate, purify, merge and re-shape nature into an aesthetic universe able of occupying our interiors." -Hervé Gambs
I was at World Market yesterday and picked up these AWESOME water bottles by Canadian company 1 Litre. With a built in cup and modern carafe style, I immediately thought these would make the most incredible and functional beverage offerings for a gift basket, guest room, bridal suite or VIP section. The design is streamline and you can also custom imprint your logo or name. Learn more about this innovative product here or purchase online here. (Of course, as always, be mindful and remember to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle)
Via Dezeen, I learned that designers Arne Quinze, Studio Job, Arik Levy, Karim Rashid and FredriksonStallard have designed floral liveries for a fleet of new Fiat 500s that will be offering rides around the Zona Tortona Design Show in Milan next week. The cars will be covered in real flowers according to the designers’ sketches and have been commissioned by the Flower Council of Holland. Click here to see some of the sketches. I want a ride in these cars! Heck, I want to ride an airplane to Milan!
Featured Event Designer: Lyndsey Hamilton Events - New York
Bride and Bloom magazine is like my wedding bible. I love this magazine above all others because it's modern, stylish, well edited, and has a lifestyle approach to event & floral design. It's like Elle Decor UK but for weddings...well sort of. It has a very accessible vibe and it's not over the top glossy like many bridal magazines. You even get cute bookmarks and collectible flower reference cards with each issue.
In the Summer 2008 issue, the featured coordinator was Lyndsey Hamilton of Lyndsey Hamilton Events. She was asked to design an ethnic-infused wedding. She chose "Havana Chic" as her inspiration and created a very modern take on this theme. I have always loved artwork from cigar labels and boxes and find this spread to be very refreshing!
Here's some more global green! Check out Ann Demeulemeester's green boutique in Seoul, Korea. Designed by Minsuk Cho of MassStudies. All I can say is WOW!!!! Click here for a slideshow and click here for more examples of modern greenery in retail environments.
This is truly amazing! The folks at Sam's Club have created an incredible once-in-a-lifetime package called the Eco Home Makeover. For the price of a brand new luxury car, you can transform your home into an eco-friendly,
high-efficiency household, complete with Sharp solar panels, Kestrel
wind turbine and your choice of stylish Energy Star qualified GE
appliances for your kitchen & laundry. With a complete setup
generating enough renewable energy to power a 3,000 – 4,000 sq. ft.
home, you will no longer be just an advocate of sustainability -- you
will be living it.
Oh, and don't think that this process will be lengthy or distruptive like most remodels. During your Eco Home conversion, you and your family will be whisked away to the Inn by the Sea a top notch green hotel on Crescent Beach in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Your home will also become an eco-celeb with coverage by The PBS series Building Green which will document the conversion and its benefits to our planet.
Available for purchase by Sam's Club members after 10pm tonight, April 9th! Oh, how I wish I could finance this!
More inspiration from Kenzo Maison...
Lovely selections for your springtime table from Kenzo Maison available at Unica Home!
I really like Missoni's collection of pillows, throws and poufs...see them here.
