Premiere Vision Preview {New York}

All my NYC based designer friends should head over to the Première Vision New York Show this week on July 14th & 15th. This show will introduce you to all the major and most renowned textile mills to start your Fall/Winter '11 collections off right.

This unique opportunity will offer a preview of a large selection of fabrics as well as trimming collections of the highest quality and creativity. There will be many forums and seminars to sit in on! Get your free badge here, and reserve your seat on the Première Vision Fashion Tour, here.

Logo and photos courtesy of PV 2010 informational website.

Cinema East {Austin}

Produced by Scott Jawson & Curated by Maggie Lea, Cinema East is a free summer film series featuring over 15 of the year's festival-favorite independent films. All-ages are welcome for screenings and BYOB friendly for those over 21. Seating is limited, lawn-chairs and blankets are encouraged and strongly recommend.

Hosted at Baby Blue Studio's with a relaxed Drive-In style outdoor lot located on 1522 East 12th St, Cinema East kicked off on Sunday June 13th and will continue every-other Sunday for the rest of the summer and through September. Let the fun times begin at 8:00pm, and screenings at 9. Check out the full schedule here!

111 Navy Chair

When you recycle your Coke bottles something can great come out of it, like the 111 Navy Chair, sold at Design Within Reach. This chair is the result of approximately 111 of your 12oz. Coke bottles being recycled and remade into a beautiful product anyone would be proud to have in their home or office. A collaboration between DWR, Coka Cola, and Emeco, and with your help in making the planet a greener place.

Photos courtesy of DRW website.

Gimmie Gimmie (oh honey honey)...

Dress me up in Kate Spade! (The scallops and polka-dot combo on these stilettos make me melt!) ...did I mention my birthday is next week?

Play Me {I'm yours}

Touring internationally since 2008, ‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ is an artwork, by artist Luke Jerram, where street pianos are popping up in cities all over the world. You can stumble upon one of these 167 pianos in parks, bus and train stations, outside galleries, markets and on bridges and ferries in one of 8 different cities worldwide. The pianos are for anyone in the community to play, admire or claim ownership of. The whole point of the installation/experiment is so that each piano acts as a sculptural, musical, blank canvas that becomes a reflection of the communities it is embedded into. Many pianos become personalized or decorated by the community that it sits in. 

Jerram says "Questioning the ownership and rules of public space ‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ is a provocation, inviting the public to engage with, activate and take ownership of their urban environment." So, go ahead, don't be afraid, when you find one of these street pianos, sit down and leave your mark and make it yours (even if only for the duration of Chopin's Nocturnes). 

‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ will soon be presented in: New York City, London, Belfast, Burnley and Blackburn, Cincinnati, San Jose, and Grand Rapids(US). 

Photo credit: (top) Sarah Faye Olman, piano spotted in NYC; (bottom) Luke Jerram, NYC Times Square.

Listening to : Part 3

Another happy Monday with more happy music. I am sure most of you have the day off, so here are some great tunes to play at a bbq or on your day road trip with friends. I promise either of these two bands will help set the scene.

Living in the red white and blue

Happy Birthday to the United States of America; and happy red white and blue to you!

Happy Weekend

Wishing everyone a happy long weekend!

Photo via We Heart It

Spanish Inspired

Living in Texas, I have embraced and have become ever so inspired by Spanish style interiors. I love the warmth of the earth tones with the brilliant touches of jewel tones. The textures used through out these spaces bring such a richness and boldness, yet something so calm and serene. The use of woods, straw and linen textiles, tile and wrought iron bring so many elements that all naturally compliment and work together. These interiors above make me want to escape on vacation - how lovely would it be if you came home to this every day.

Photo credit: image via Katie Did; annesage.com; VTinteriors; sohaute.typepade.com; image of a hotel in Cabo San Lucas via autojogia.com; mexicanstyle.com.

Long weekend {and} Events in Austin

I feel a bit lacker-ish for not posting anything for a while - I had a great long weekend in Chicago and am happy to have been able to bring my loving boyfriend back to Austin with me. Now that he is back and one of my good friends, Kate, will be heading back to Austin, from NYC, in a few weeks, I am very excited to be discovering all the fun things Austin has to offer during the summer months. I have read through Austin Monthly magazine which has a huge calendar of events. Here are a few highlights I wanted to share with you, that I will surely be attending!  

Sail Away - July 1st through 5th, it's time to head to Corpus Christi for Sail South Texas 2010. Ships come from around the world to be a part of this three to five day festival which honors the 234th anniversary of the United States', the bicentennial of the Latin American independence, and return of the Naval Station Ingleside to Port Corpus Christi. During the celebration, there will be musical and various cultural performances. Attendees can also board and explore the ships for themselves!

HEB Austin Symphony and Fireworks - Austin's biggest 4th of July bash celebrating with Austin's symphony orchestra. Fireworks starting at 9:30pm at Auditorium Shores.

Matisse as Printmaker - Through August 23 at Blanton Museum of Art, a collection of the french sculptor and artist, Henri Matisse's, etchings, monotypes, aquatints, lithographs and linocuts.

Saturday Night Special - Laugh your ass off at Salvage Vanguard Theater on Manor Road on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month where Austin's best comedy troupes perform two show's; audience participation highly encouraged.

Capoeira - Some consider Brazilian-African dancing to be a healing art form. Come watch this mix of choreographed dance, acrobatics, and non-contact fighting put to song and rhythm and find out where its powers come from. Ongoing for the duration of the summer at Austin's Mexican American Cultural Center.

Tango Wednesdays - After you leave the office, start your Wednesday nights off at Annies Cafe & Bar, on Congress Avenue, for a free mini dance lesson at 7pm. Continue to showcase your skills after with a guest DJ.

Petanque - The French Legation Museum will be hosting an ongoing event on the second and fourth Sunday's of every month where people can come and play the traditional French game, Petanque. All ages are welcome and encouraged to play and have a good time! 

 

First Thursday - An ongoing delayed closing hour where all the shops and restaurants down South Congress Avenue keep their doors open until 10pm, every first Thursday of each month.

Wimberley Lions Market Days - Venture out to Lions Field, Wimberley to the oldest market in Texas Hill Country. This market houses 475 booths full of treasures for you to look through while listening to live music. Food vendors ranging from barbecue to funnel cakes abound.

Splash Movies - Throw yourself into the deep end of Deep Eddy and watch one of your favorite movies with family and friends. Catch a movie select days now through August 14th. Upcoming films include Grease, Where the Wild Things Are, Star Trek, and many more - movies start at dusk!

Lonestar Rollergirls - July 10 be sure the catch the Cherry Bombs battling the Hellcats, and the Holly Rollers will go head to head with the Rhinestone Cowgirls on July 24th, at the Plamer Events Center on Barton Springs Road.

Check out the full calendar in the July issue of Austin Monthly - let the fun begin!

TGIF (almost) : Happy Weekend

Because I will be in Chicago tomorrow I wanted to wish everyone a happy weekend today, I hope it's truly magical!

Image credits: Camilla Akrans; Amanda Pratt; Our labor of love; via coco+kelley blog; via mmonroedesigninspiration blog.

Happy hour, so happy...

Cucumber Gimlet

ingredients (qty 1 glass)
2 oz gin

1/2 cucumber, seeded & chopped

11/2 limes, squeezed

11/2 oz simple syrup
ice cubes
old fashioned glass

directions
Slice four 1/4-inch-thick slices of cucumber and set aside for garnish. Peel, seed and coarsely chop cucumber and transfer to food processor. 

Squeeze juice from 1/2 lime over cucumbers and purée until smooth (you can muddle the cucumbers if you prefer).

Pour the cucumber puree through fine mesh strainer and set over small bowl. 

Combine gin, cucumber juice, lime juice, and simple syrup. Pour mixture over ice in an old fashioned glass, mix well. 

Serve garnished with lime and cucumber slices. Adjust amounts of lime juice and simple syrup to your liking. 

This delicious recipe is courtesy of Crumpets & Cake!

Chi Town Wedding

I am excited to be heading for Chicago very early tomorrow morning, for a few reasons: I will get to see my handsome boyfriend for the first time in almost a month! and I will be with his entire family celebrating his sister, Rachel's, wedding!

Congratulations Rachel and Will (the groom, obviously)!

Listening to : Part 2

Two amazing bands that everyone should be listening to... Florence & the Machine and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

Cinemagical : Style on the Big Screen : A Single Man

So, I here will be a new series of posts. I have always been inspired by set design, especially in cinema. I have had discussions with friends and coworkers, sense I can remember, which are the great movies for cinematic interior inspiration. I will cover both classics that I have seen, some that I have not (but have been suggested to me over and over), more modern movies that have hit the silver screen, and a few "honorable mention" TV shows, as well. Please, feel free to agree or disagree, also, I would love some suggestions on your favorites for me to post about.

I saw The Single Man in the movie theater last fall, and nervously brought my friends and boyfriend along for the show. I knew the movie would be beautiful, seeing it had been directed my fashion designer, Tom Ford, but also knowing it was about a same sex relationship, I wasn't sure, exactly, how my crowd would take to the whole concept. Luckily, and not too surprisingly, everyone loved it and everything about it. Everyone's performances were outstanding, Colin Firth's, especially, is to be applauded. This movie was perfectly cast, though, I am sure Tom Ford had many model/actors at his disposal making the cast also extremely good looking. The house the main character lives in, the neighborhood the house sits in, and the UCLA college campus he works in, are all beautifully fitting and perfectly representational of the 1960's. The attention to detail is really where this movie gets me. The horn framed glasses, chain smoking women, the student's motorcycle, the hairstyles and makeup, even the pistol Firth's character caries around in his briefcase - everything is stunning. The set design, costume and makeup design, propping and art direction are at their best in this film. If you have passed over this movie and haven't seen it, put it at the top of your list, it is undoubtedly a 'must see'.

White Hot Summer

Summer has officially begun! I am inspired by these light and breezy dresses and blouse above. I love how carefree these women look; I am truly inspired to relax and and enjoy myself. Here's looking forward to a great 'go with the flow' kind of summer!

TGIF : Happy Weekend

Channeling fresh black and white interiors with a little Glam. I'm in the mood to pay my house some attention this weekend.

After my first week at a new job, I am looking forward to a day off to re-gather myself and my surroundings. I plan to spend Sunday swimming in the springs and maybe some garage sale hunting to find a nightstand for my bedroom. 

Photo Credit: Elle Decor; Design Crisis Blog; Sally O'Sullivan; Domino Magazine.

Gimmie Gimmie (oh honey honey)...

My birthday is almost exactly a month away and I can't help but seeing things I would love to ask for. Though, if you know me, and know me well, you know that I hardly ever ask for anything specific for birthday's and holiday's. But, a girl can always dream that everyone around her will magically know what to get!

...Currently lusting after nude sandals, like these from JCrew, Michael Kors watch, anything Anthropologie, and metallic letter balloons!

The Sketchbook Project

Be a part of something, together with your peers around the world. Share your thoughts, share your point of view, share your world and have it kept and preserved as art. Details here.

photo credit: flickr, flickr, sprayblog

Listening to : Part 1

I always need some good tunes to get me through Monday's. Today I am counting on Discovery & La Roux

TGIF : Happy Weekend

It's going to be another weekend in the 90's here so I am looking forward to some more time spent with my girls swimming and sipping margaritas!

Photo credit: Tom Lapumbo

Weekend Plans

If you're in NYC this weekend and have a hankerin' for some BBQ head over to Madison Square Park for the 8th annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, where the country’s top pitmasters cook up their award-winning best! If I weren't in Texas and already surrounded by BBQ - I would be at this party in a heart beat! Get the full details here.

Inspiration : Body Art

I love the idea of a tattoo, I think well executed and well designed ink can be very quite beautiful, but I know that I am too indecisive and no matter what I would choose to put on my body, I would undoubtedly regret it the day after. Between hanging out in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and my "now" town, Austin, I have seen a lot of great pieces of art walking around (literally).The above have grabbed my attention and i hope you can see the same beauty in it that I do.

photo credit clockwise from top left: unknown; tattoopict; stumbleupon; fashionspiration; spicybiscotty; fashionspiration; allebach photography.          

Living by the sea

Not only am I in love with wearing everything nautical, but I desperately want to make over my house so it feels like I am at the beach all the time. I love the interiors above and how each unique space plays with stripes, crisp white, or colors of the sea. The added touches of glamor here and there doesn't hurt either.

clockwise from top left: image via Katy Elliot; Decor Pad; Katy Elliot; Angela Hardison via design sponge; Country living magazine.

Etsy : Shop by color

 

Another introduction from my friend, Les, was to how to shop Etsy.com by COLOR! This page on their website is so much fun to play with. You can click on colors (the colors pop up when you move your mouse over them) and items from the Etsy website, in that color group, will show up. So, if you are looking for a great piece of artwork in a shade of yellow, or a red necklace to go with that new dress you just bought, this is a great and fun way to shop.

Monday morning surprises

Yesterday morning I found on my doorstep a plethora of packages delivered by the mail man. Two were from my loving mother, back in VT, and the others from my good friend in New York. My friend, Helen, has had a busy summer already and I am so lucky to have her as a pen pal because she sent me little treasures from where she has been so far. Both packages were so sweet I just had to share.

The first package above came from Nashville, Tennessee - The purple iris card is from American Letterpress and the Thank You card/postcard is from Hatch Show Print. Active since 1879, makes Hatch Show Print the oldest working poster print shop in America and a Nashville landmark! And, of course, the most literally delicious part of this package is a bar of Mexican style chocolate with cinnamon chili. This decedent bar of chocolate comes from Olive & Sinclair. I am not surprised that this is their most popular flavor.

The second package made its way over from Paris, France. It's a small bottle of basil infused oil from Olivers & CO. I can't wait to use this to pair with a fresh baguette or tomato and mozzarella (my favorite on a hot summer day!). I have been blessed to have been to Paris a few times and I certainly love everything Parisian. I am so happy Helen had such a wonderful time in her travels.

Sunday fun day : 2nd Street shopping

Hi there, I hope everyone had a great weekend. There was a lot going on here in Austin - hula hoop contests at Lustre Pearl, late night dancing at Beauty Bar and the Pride Parade downtown Austin, which was one of the best block parties I have ever partaken in. With all of that happening at the beginning of the weekend I decided to take some "me" time on Sunday and do a little "shop and wander" in Austin's downtown 2nd Street district. This part of town has a lot to offer if you and your girlfriends want an afternoon of indulgences.

My recommendation would be to start at Lamberts, on the corner of Guadelupe and W. 2nd Street, for a gourmet barbecue brunch. They usually fill up pretty fast so make sure to call a head for reservations. Another favorite of me and my girl friends' in the neighborhood is Taverna, by Lombardi, on Lavaca and W. 2nd Street, with their $1 mimosas and bellinis! On top of all the great restaurant choices, walking down second street, there are a number of great boutique dress shops, furniture & home decor showrooms, and spas to explore. You also get to admire the progress on the new W Hotel with anticipation, said to open this December (I can't wait to check it out when it finally done!). 

TGIF : Happy Weekend

{photos via coco+kelley}

It's getting hot here in Austin and this weekend is going to be sizzling! I'm already planning some night time dancing and some daytime lounging at the pool (and springs!). Have a great weekend and keep cool!

Polyvore

So, my good friend, Les, introduced me to my newest obsession, Polyvore is a website where you express and share your own unique style. You can make design inspiration boards in both interiors or fashion, using pieces from hundreds of famous designers. You can also view other peoples styles and boards. You can even post questions and people can help you pick out an outfit or that one perfect items for any event, be it an interview or a high school reunion.

Feeling a little nostalgic for my old neighborhood, mostly because my boyfriend is there without me (a pit stop on his way to Iceland!), I made the above inspiration board thinking about what I might wear to the East River Park on n.8th in Williamsburg. My waterfront look is a little fem yet a little bit boardwalk badass.

Terrain

If you love wearing all things Anthropologie you will love living in all things Terrain.