Natural Frabrics

Nature brings us not just incredible food and inspiration on our daily lives but also provides us with amazing materials to use. Such is the case of fabrics made with natural yarns like cotton or linen which are vegetable ones, or wool which is animal based.

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Natural fibers are sustainable and have been made for centuries. Cotton and linen fabrics have been found in excavations at ancient sites in Egypt and the Middle East, where cotton and flax were grown by ancient cultures.

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Natural fibers are great for dyeing as they take them really well because they absorb the pigments unlike synthetic fibers that cannot be dyed. Natural fibers are also very resistant but can shrink like it is the case of wool and cotton if you're not careful.

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Just like your food, if you are buying clothes made with natural fibers check the label that details the contents of the fabric used to make the item. And if you're buying organic clothes, ask if the yarn was bleached at some point because that sort of defeats the purpose of being organic {learned that one buying bath linen!}.

Have a great day!

Shopping

The last weekend for Christmas shopping is upon us and with it stress, traffic jams and long lines at the register. Thank God my shopping has been minimal and a lot of it will be done after Christmas because I will be traveling and bringing the gifts from abroad. Anyways, here are some tips to avoid the shopping stress and craziness.

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Find a shopping partner that you can go with and help each other out in making lines at the register and changing rooms, this way the both of you can save time and cover more ground together.

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When buying gifts get all the gift boxes and bags retailers offer you that way you cn save yourself time at the gift wrapping counter and at home. Check out some blogs to find creative and easy gift wrapping ideas you can do at home and may also be a way to relax yourself.

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I cannot emphasize this enough: make a list of everything you need. This will save you time and the pain of having to go back to any store or super market over and over again.

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Finally, learn when enough is enough and don't go crazy on trying to get too much done in a small amount of time. You are supposed to be enjoying the holiday season, not driving yourself or your family crazy.

Have a great day!

Skin Care

When you live in a place where it's very humid and it rains a lot {like Costa Rica and Miami} you become very neurotic about the care of anything leather, be it shoes, bags, jackets or furniture.

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If your leather piece gets wet carefully dry it and don't rub it because you can change the whole structure of the skin. Instead rub it dry applying light pressure to absorb all the water and moisture.

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The same concept applies to your shoes. In order to prevent water {or snow} damage buy a protective spray that and apply it to your shoes, especially if you are dealing with suede which is highly absorbent. This will also protect them from any moisture absorbed by being in your closet.

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Leather tends to get dry even in humid weather {be extra careful in dry places like LA}, so rub something moist on it like a leather dressing or cream. Make sure to look for something that matches the color of your piece, if not go for a neutral cream or preferably something recommended by the manufacturer. Avoid liquid shoes polish as it tends to dry out the leather.

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Avoid stretching the leather because it loses its shapes but never regains it. If you cary too much stuff in your bag throw out stuff out of there, if you have a leather piece hanging on your closet lay it flat or use a hanger that doesn't change it's shape, and if you abuse of your shoes they will certainly give in.

Have a great day and take care of your other skin!

PM Masters: Piper Toth from One Sidney Road

I've been following Piper's blog for the longest time and love every single item she carries at her store One Sydney Road. As someone who believes to surround yourself with the best products and a supporter of design, I find her to be the perfect person to interview and share her ideas.

How did you get started in your career?

Oh boy, how much time do you have?! I’ve had a very diverse career, let’s say that! But one thing that remained constant for me was my dream of owning my own business. My major in college was Small Business Entrepreneurship, it just took me time to actually take the leap. I spent many years in Corporate America on the finance side, coached dance teams & taught dance and also started my first business right out of college that I did part time while I was working to pay the bills! So needless to say it was a long, winding road to get to here, where I’m working finally on my own business full time!

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What are your sources of inspiration?

Anywhere and everywhere!! I find inspiration in the usual suspects like Pinterest, magazines and blogs (I’m a bit of a blog reading addict!). But it’s also things like the color of flowers, a song, a cool movie, travel posters, nature…I could go on and on. I think I’m pretty much inspired by my environment!

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Where do you work and how do you get organized around it?

I just recently renovated my office space and I just love it now! It’s a sunroom that I’m now using as my office. It has windows on 3 sides that looks out into our backyard. I painted it white and filled it with plants so it feels like an escape when I’m in there. The challenge though is that I have no wall space!! It makes it difficult to stay organized but I have a couple tricks like hanging things on clotheslines!

Which is your favorite collection/project/product that you have designed? Where else (besides you own store) would you like to see your products sold?
One of my favorite things I’ve done is the 60 Days of Wanderlust promotion I did over the holidays. I had so much fun creating the city guides and getting to feel like I was “traveling” to all these different places!

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 What other profession you would like to have besides yours?
I always dreamed of being an actress - but I’m terrible at it! (I wanted to be a triple threat...dancing, acting & singing...I only got the dancing part :)

What are you listening to these days?
So many things! (my hubby and I are music heads - I think we have something like 1500 cds!) Right now I can’t get enough of The New Pornographers, Foster the People, Raconteurs, Dead Weather...

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When you travel what are the essential items you take with you? 
Ipod, journal, rose salve (works for so many things!), sunscreen & hopefully my hubby!

Where is your favorite vacation spot?
The best place we’ve ever been was Australia - it was amazing - we didn’t want to leave! Particularly Sydney - it’s a gorgeous, vibrant, laid back city - The Rocks was one of the coolest spots! It’s where the convicts used to land and they kept all the old brick buildings and alleys and converted them in to shops, cafes and even a hotel!

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What is the best business advice you can give someone?
Make sure that you know what your ultimate vision is for your business AND that it aligns with your personal values. Having a vision and a goal makes it so much easier to stay on track during the roller coaster ride that is entrepreneurship!

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What does the future hold for your business? Any plans?
So many! I’m so excited about what the future holds - I have a bunch of projects planned for 2012. One of the things I discovered from running one sydney road is that I have an absolute passion for helping others with their businesses. I get to work all the with artists and I love talking with them and seeing what I can do to help promote their work or even help with struggles that we all have. So I have some things I’m developing to help others!

I cannot express how thankful I am to Piper for being a part of Punctuation Mark... She's one amazing lady!

Dear Santa!

Dear Santa: Last year I got 3 out of 5 thing I ask from you which is a pretty good record and they were things I really needed. Here is my list for this year:

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That desire closest to my heart... work with the company that will allow me to be the professional and designer I can be.

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I know I asked you for one of these last year but since I didn't get it and I looooove ice cream I though about asking for it again. Don't worry about the accessories because those I can get for myself. Also, I want to make some of the great recipes from this BLOG.

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Ever since I saw my sister getting this book I've wanted it. It would be a great reference book to take some amazing images on 2012. Maybe, you can through a weekend course with Helene... that would be fantastic!!!

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This of course will be to replace my little camera that even though it has been really faithful and there for me, I need to move on and improve in this area... and of course would be a great resource to make Punctuation Mark a better blog!

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Finally, I want to get on a plane and see new things, meet new people and eat great local foods... I just want to travel many, many, many times in 2012!!!

Have a great day and hope you're all done with your shopping!

Made In...

Have you ever paid attention to where the things you buy are made? I didn't used to but as a designer I started to do it. There are some great designers doing things in their own countries and cities... Which in turn helps out local economies!

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Heath Ceramics is a mid-century American ceramics company that has been making tableware and tiles for more that 50 years. They make everything in their facilities in Sausalito CA and their products can be seen at restaurants like Chez Panisse and the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena as well as being part of the permanent collection at the MOMA.

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The Stella Rug by Michelle Mason is made 100% in England and it's made with 100% Merino wool which is also one of the most sustainable materials in the world. The rug design is inspired in traditional lace making where cotton yarns were woven to create decorative elements for clothes and linens.

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I love this Duck Brush made in Sweden and designed by Iris Hantverk. This is the perfect adaptation to a grown ups rubber ducky and the perfect companion in the shower. The brush is made from oiled beech and horse hair... but the most amazing thing about it is that it's mainly made by visually impaired workers.

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and a great Monday!

Fashionable Night

Finally here are the images from my adventure at Fashion's Night Out 2011. We had a lot of fun at the event as we had champagne and macarons at Chanel and YSL, we enjoyed of great food at Neiman Marcus and checked out amazing shoes at Saks.

The event was full of people some of them and some not that much but at the end of the night the most fun was just people watching. Somehow the fashion industry {especially high end!} attracts a lot of the crazies who spend thousands of dollars trying in clothes as if style could be bought?

Do you think style can be taught or is it something you are born with? I somehow think you can learn how to make the best of it but just like people who are math and chemistry geniuses there are others who just have that innate sixth sense.

Have a great day and start getting ready for the weekend!

Busy Day

This morning I woke up early to start getting ready to get my day going as I have a pretty hectic one... the funniest thing of the morning was a phone call I received from my sister who after dropping off her kids at school, stopped by Target and to both our surprises at 9am there was people already leaving with bags full of the Missoni collection... Seriously!!!

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This morning I'm running around like crazy but if you venture to go and check out the collection let me know to see if I can do it myself...

Have a great day and have some fun!!!

The Right Pair

The other day I was talking to a friend about someone we knew that wear jean that very unflattering despite the fact that they are from a very well known brand. We could not help but making it the topic of conversation.

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I'm one of those that have no real brand loyalty but I always look for the right color {nice dark wash!} and the right fit no matter the price or brand. The "muffin top" is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to the fit because there is nothing more uncomfortable than feeling that your favorite pair is not allowing circulation to the lower part of your body.... right???

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So, like they say "when in doubt... just ask"... and since I have this space I wanted to share with all of you a few links on how to chose the jeans that look best on you no matter what the fashion trends say {not all of us are made to wear super-duper-ultra skinny jeans!}

For the ladies:

1.  Perfect Jeans - 5 Tips on How to Find Them
2. The Definitive Denim Style Guide
3. The Jean Genie 

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For the guys {my friend was a guy!}:

1. Find the Right Fit
2. Buying the Perfect Pair of Men's Jeans

Have a great day and have some fun!

Architectural Shoes

I ran into an article about United Nude, which is a shoe brand created by  Rem D Koolhaas {nephew of the great architect} who is trained as an architect and was inspired to create his first design out of love for a woman. After his relationship was over he realized a new career was in front of him and left architecture to start his own label in collaboration with Galahad Clark {as in Clark shoes 7 generation dynasty}.

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Besides offering innovative and cutting edge designs for their shoes they have gone one step further and created stores that make you feel like you're inside a dark theater looking at the show which in this case is the shoes {of course!}

Amsterdam Flagship store {credit for all images}

The most important feature of the store design is the Wall of Light™, which is used to highlight the product by using a computer-controlled LED wall that displays the shoes as if it was some sort of art gallery.

New York store

China Plaza store

According to its creative director they have some exciting designs coming up that include shoes with laser cut materials and they will also will be experimenting with new technologies of bringing their designs to women's lives {even some men's lives too!}

London Store {Image Credit and Wallpaper article}

Have a great day and bring some innovation into your day!

Objects of Beauty

Have you ever read And So I Whisper? I have and I love it... Anabel writes about her many trips, family and the amazing products she designs. About a week ago she opened her online store at Project Artisan where she is selling her beautiful accessories to everyone.

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Fortunately, Anabel is having a giveaway to celebrate her store and show her beautiful designs to everyone. Check out her blog and participate to win the "Abina Neckalce" which is made by hand with beautiful materials so you can wear it with anything and everything!

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This is what you need to do:

• If you have a Facebook account sign up and "Like" the Facebook page.
• Leave a comment on her blog telling her about your favorite piece on the online shop.  
• Tweet about the giveaway "I'm loving the giveaway @andsoiwhisper. you too can participate http://t.co/QQbXJFB" for an extra entry.  Make sure to let her know you tweeted about it!
• Write about the giveaway on your blog for an extra entryand make sure she knows about it!

Have fun and good luck!

Art and Fashion

During my trip to LA I had the opportunity to go to see the magnificent work by Mary Jo Matsumoto from Trust Your Style where she applied works of art from various international artists with her beautiful designs.

Each pice was integrated perfectly with each of the designs makin them look like they were part of them all along. All the pieces were part of Mary Jo's new fashion line that she showed during LA's Fashion Week.

It was a great opportunity to meet not just Mary Jo {who's blog I've been reading for a while} but also I got to meet Dyan from Whimsy Being who's been a great supporter of mine from the very beginning {thank you by the way}.

Please stop by their blogs because they are showing great pictures of the event.

Have a great day and thanks for your "Safe Travel" wishes!