Rouge In Love

A new lipstick shade can create an entire new mood to ones life, ones wardrobe, ones spirits.  A new color can make a season more beautiful.  I have never in my life been drawn to Lancome, at least not until this evening. In the newest Lucky Magazine there was a tiny article on Emma Watson's Favorite Lipstick, don't get me wrong, I have no opinion of Miss Watson, none whatsoever but when I saw the shade the article was promoting, well, my heart sang.  Lancome has perhaps gotten it so right, the perfect shade of pink.  They have named this delight on the eyes: Midnight Rose.  In addition to the color, Lucky is promoting a chance to try this new slick looking lipstick with a chance to win it, that chance includes a Solange Azagury-Partridge ring to accompany it.  Delightful! If you like this English jewelry designer & want to wear a new stunning & as Lucky has put it, "a bright (dare we say English, on steroids) rose"...take a look at this offer.

Since Lancome's Midnight Rose is MIA and is out of stock of their 314 Rouge Saint-Honore, their perfect red, I have picked a color that is just nuts!  Rouge in Love~381 Violette Coquette  ... this color is insanely intense!  A follow-up on its staying power to follow!  I adore a lipstick that stays, does not bleed, goes on smoothly & lasts through a meal...  I know my lipsticks...

A final note, included in my order of this plum sensation were 3 gifts from Lancome: 2 other lipsticks to try [they appear to be full sized lipsticks & even gave me a choice on one of the shades, the other gift is a 1/2 oz of their Absolute Precious Cells cream, oh an extra bonus FREE SHIPPING too... Lancome, I am liking you more & more by the moment.

http://www.lancome-usa.com/Rouge-In-Love/100021,default,pd.html 
http://www.luckymag.com/sweeps/0212_solange/entry/long
Rouge In Love

Divine Scalamandre

Few companies come to mind when thinking fabrics, ok American fabrics.  The one that I have forever embossed on my mind is Scalamandre, specifically their Zebra print.  I think of them and I think out of my league, price league that is.  How wrong I was to believe such a thought.  On my most recent trip to Manhattan I was leaving Dylan's Candy Bar walking back to The Algonquin, when I was reminded of them as I briskly strolled south on 3rd Avenue.  There they were~Scalamandre, their building looks alone in a block of more commercial style office buildings, theirs a building left  from another time, from a time when men built fabulous homes in this once opulent part of New York City. This building is from that early 20th Century, that once glorious neighborhood [still an amazing neighborhood by far].  Inside the facade one finds fabrics to drool over as I tiptoe about feeling unworthy.  The man in charge was kind, friendly and inviting.  I knew I could afford one item for I had done a bit of research, one of their umbrellas.  I quickly grabbed one to purchase as to look like a lady on a mission and not some groupie gawker.  Oh how I wished I had looked around a bit more, next trip I will for certain savor the interior of 942 3rd Avenue!  I made by purchase & ran out, ok, I did spent about 5 minutes looking about & realizing most was quite dear in price.  Upon returning home to Maryland I come to find that Scalamandre has a shop called The Third Floor which caters to ladies like me, ones on a more tightened purse string or perhaps those more conscientious of sending loads of dough currently.  I have now ordered 5 yards of their delightful Seashell Baroque.  When I tell you the price you will have to check for yourself how affordable some of their fabrics happen to be.  Yes, a mere $19.75 for a yard of this dreamy under the sea printed cloth to truly drool over.  There is something for anyone who has the desire or taste to add a touch of Scalamandre to their home!

One last mention for anyone who once lived in Manhattan, let's remember Gino's & their relationship to the Zebra Print & the restaurant's relationship with Mr. Franco Scalamandre. As the New Yorker states~Basta!

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Who Are Your Friends on Facebook~Ethic of Reciprocity

Facebook is a territory uncharted, I mean in a way to act, the proper way to behave.  Social etiquette on Facebook, uncharted completely.  Accepting friendship's from people you have never heard of, getting "poked" by a real friend is one thing but getting poked by someone random out there in cyberland, well a bit unnerving, no flat out creepy.

This Facebook notion began by friends wanting to connect with "real" friends, somehow it has spiraled out of control for some of us social butterflies.  Just last night some brother of a real friend of mine created a "group" on Facebook about Fabulous & 50 and then somehow signed every single person on his friends' list to it, I was one of them.  I don't want to be part of some ridiculous group that I have nothing in common with, first of all I am not in my 50's so what the heck do I care about people in their 50's thinking they are fabulous, the answer, I don't care or care to join.  The reason for this post and writing about this benign group, they signed me to it as a member without my permission, interest or consent.  This is where the etiquette comes in, would you want someone to sign you up to a group that you have nothing in common with without your consent?  I think not, this is the point.  How can Facebook set up the possibility of creating a group and signing up people you want to [just because they are your F/b friends & a captive audience] without their knowledge?  This makes no sense.  I can see inviting your F/b friends to join a group you belong to or for that matter created, but accessing them at will to create your group, not OK.  It takes time for a group to form and grow, you don't just say I am going to create a group & instantly you have one, at least it should not be this way on a social networking site.

My thoughts say to me, if you wouldn't do it in real life, don't do it online.  If you hesitate for a moment on F/b about whether or not to act in a particular way, then your gut should be trusted, again, don't do it. The old Golden Rule & a expectation from Heaven above: One should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated.  Think first, act later.  Just because you are behind the screen of a computer dosen't mean you have some new found power to behave badly.  

Related articles

• Facebook hides the Poke - Is it gone for good? (thenextweb.com)

Riding Coattails

Image by *clairity* via Flickr

It seems that when one has a built-in endorsement of a famous family member, a little bit of ambition & desire...you can go a long way.  I use this term, coattails, with sincerely envy.  If only.....need I say more. Money does make money. I think not having an old family bank or reputation makes the whole creative process that much tougher, not the creating but the recognition of your creation, whatever that may be.  When big dough is backing you, the emperor can be wearing Versace. You know the story right? The emperor really isn't wearing anything at all! Bare naked, though everyone is oohing & aahing over his fabulous ensemble...  I will not take the fact that many of my coattail envy inspirations are truly talented & deserve their place in the world of creation, but wasn't it easier being them?


Now that this is said, how will I make my mark all by my little lonesome? This is what I am working on and would love your input.

Here are some of my favorite coattailers:
[I say this will love, admiration & yes envy in the most wonderful way imagined...] A next lifetime or perhaps a past...

http://www.indiahicks.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Dahl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Richardson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Lennon
http://www.stellamccartney.com/default/index.html

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Where For Art Thou Oh Silhouette

Image via Wikipedia

Silhouettes are a long forgotten tradition of creating a portrait, even to this day they still remain a romantic way to capture an age of innocence. How could the loss of this art form not be avoided with cameras, video, blackberries & every other device known to modern man to recreate an image, with all of this technology, simply outlining a loved one is a thing of the past.  There was a time when the only way one could produce an image was by hand...either painting it or cutting it into a silhouette. 

Why not explore a beautiful & ultra cool way to prefect your day or event, your child or yourself, than by producing sublime and distinguished images (so two centuries ago) for generations to come.  Romance is in the air...try a silhouette, outline a loved one!

Karl Johnson is an artist bringing back this portrait session by scissoring up the likes of Reese Witherspoon or guests at a party hosted by J Lo...  A great guest gift at your upcoming wedding, something old is oh so new again.

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Cleaning House...Putting Out or Getting Out

Image via Wikipedia

Please share with me how you clean, or more precisely how you clear clutter!  The crap is piling up around me & the time is now to rid myself & family of this mess!  HELP...

Today I have just gathered trash bags, mid-sized ones, and am just dumping it in...anything that has not been used in a while, has an expiration date well past its prime, looks like shit, have doubles of or is simply taking up space...

Papers! Piles of Papers... design inspiration, places to go someday, near & far, ways to save money, a blog I have been wanting to check out for months, schedules, bills, magazines, postcards, love letters, my son's artwork dedicated to me, his father, a squirrel, the neighbor, his teacher [you get the picture of his contribution to my heaps]... My solution to the crap piles a few years back was to get organized with a filing cabinet, well it is stuffed to the gills....[idea, clean the crap out of there too....someday...]

Is it a state of mind, the tossing of the crap?  Is it a matter of getting fed-up with the tower of trash? What's it take to gather the internal energy to stay on top of it all, so it does not get you pinned beneath?  Any suggestions are encouraged... At this very moment in time I am procrastinating going back to the rubble, for it is closing in on me...Trash beware!  You are going out tonight! 

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The Thank You Note

Are they without manners, were never taught it was the right thing to do, or do they simply not care?  I ask myself this question time & time again when I have gone out of my way to find the perfect give for someone, their child, their new home and so on... I am referring to sending a thank you note.  Taking a few minutes to jot down an acknowledgement of someones kind generosity, that you simply received the gift or that receipt of the item made your day brighter is just a given by many.  It takes so little of yourself to do this.  If you don't, please considering beginning.  Taking others for granted will most certainly knock you off the givers list of persons remembered.  Plus the person sending the gift might consider you entitled so therefore thinking you think that of yourself, even worse.  I would never want to be viewed as "entitled".  That could be viewed as haughty or just plain rude with a touch of self absorbed tossed in or that you were raised by wolves. 

Taking the time to thank that special someone for remembering you could keep you in their good graces, otherwise you might not deserve to be in that persons continued spirit of generosity.

As far as I am concerned, a late thank you note is better than no thank you note.  I am still at work on my Thank You's from Christmas, well over 6 weeks ago, the only reason they are so late: A house fire.  What's your excuse? 

PS: You have a full year for Wedding Gifts! Getting it done sooner increases your odds of getting it done.

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What Color Do You Think of When You Think of Honeysuckle?

With all the rage over 2011's color of the year chosen by Pantone, I'm thinking "The Emperor's New Clothes" more than excitement.  The color is glorious for a gal who adores most anything pink, but I don't think of pink & honeysuckle in the same thought-process.  When I think of honeysuckle I think of various golden tones, even white, I don't think pink. Where do these pink honeysuckles grow?  They are no where in the state of Maryland where I was raised.  I simply have never seen one growing wild, a pink one that is.  Isn't that one of the beauties of honeysuckles, they just grow most anywhere tending to thrive off the beaten path.  It was always an adventure going out to look for honeysuckles when I was a young girl.  Later as a young woman we would hop off our horses when finding a massive patch to taste & savor the sweetness in the warmth of summer.  Still no pink coming to mind. 

If this is an attempt to jump start the mood of the nation by picking a cheery color, I fully support the efforts of Pantone.  It seems we will be seeing a great deal of pink this upcoming year for when a color is announced~trends follow.  Can't help feeling better about 2011 with my new rose-colored glasses.

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Fashionable Flora: The Phantom Petunia, What's Hot for 2011 Gardens

The Herbaceous Hotness: Petunia Black Velvet, Phantom, and Pinstripe: "Ball Hort has released a devilish new group of Petunia this year that are poised to be some of the top sellers for 2011. Petunia Black..."