just because....quote

wish list...all things suzani

Today, was supposed to be all about suzani 'cushions' but alas I can not limit the post only to cushions when there are so many other beautiful creations using this exquisite technique.

The term suzani means 'needlework' and in particular that of the exquisite silk thread embroidery panels made by women in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian countries. An antique and decorative tribal textile suzani is synonymous with these region's glorious embroideries.Traditionally the embroidery work began at the birth of a daughter and continued, with the help of family and friends, until the bride's dowry was complete.

In recent years the use of suzani textiles in upholstering has produced fabulous showcase items of furniture, with the more common place wall hangings and soft furnishings now regularly used by the world of interior design.

Ok, so the suzani trend is not new to interior design trade BUT alas I love it!....

These items are not cheap but Ebay stores Desert of Suzani and Great Silk Road should be monitored closely as bargains can be found!

An antique suzani work will be mega $$$ but then, if one considers the amount of detail and labour that goes into creating these beautiful items, you can understand why.

images taken from - jayson home interiors, casa sugar, furnituredesign.com & yurdan.com

cushions from wisteria, madeline winerib and uzbek crafts - $$ vary!

just because....quote

wish list...

I wait in anticipation for news from my man on the ground in Jaipur, ref. the block prints I have designed.. will they work? can my ideas translate from the drawing board to reality ok??

There is a limit to what I can do via the internet and telephone and sadly, it wont be until I am in India in May that I will really know and can get to work...

I have spent hours researching block print textiles and in the process have come across some amazing designers. One of my current favorites in Mary Mulcahy and her company Les Indiennes .

Les Indiennes range of textiles, soft furnishings and wallpapers are created using the ancient art of Kalamakari. Sun bleached naturally dyed cottons are hand-blocked with carved wood dyed in ayurvedic dyes derived from plants, roots, earth and rock.

One of things that I applaud is that Les Indiennes has never set out to industrialise or change the ways things are done in India. Les Indiennes provide fair trade employment for 50 families, raising the standard of living for the entire community.

Be inspired by the images.

Her website is thorough with a great on-line shop. For now I can only refer you but with time I hope to be able to source everything for you!

My dream is that one day Lala Moon will be able to give Les Indiennes and the like a run for their money... Yet I will remain indebted to them for giving me the inspiration and vision for moving forward with my ideas... Thank YOU!

www.lesindiennes.com (USA with shipping)

when it rains it pours...

It seems that my home city Buenos Aires, has turned monsoonal over night... and with weather related stories hitting the wires every day from all over the world, one can safely say that something has gone a little 'loco'.

Perhaps, if we looked after our planet a little better then these extreme weather events would not be quite as devastating and wouldn't occur as frequently as they are now doing...Come on, let's not just look the other way, we need to act NOW to try and save the planet, no-one else is going to do it.....lecture over.

So, in the meantime preventative measures are called for and what better excuse that to join the welly brigade!

I have spotted more than a couple of portena fashionistas ( fashionable ladies from Bs As) donning their wellies in the shopping centre, out for lunch and wait for it, I even spotted a couple of pairs in a night club the other night!

Wellies are for everyone, and with styles and colours to suit every taste it is now becoming a considered purchase.

The festival scene (think Glastonbury) is leading the way in welly fashion and even the original 'don' of all wellies 'Hunter', not wishing to lag behind in the welly race, has come up trumps with their new 'festival collection'..

Feel free to laugh out out loud at the ridiculous, but believe me, many $$$ will be spent on the rubber accessory in the months and years to come.

Personally, I am more of a bare foot girl at heart but with a little persuasion I might well join the welly brigade too, I'll keep you posted!

ps - ok, I didn't see any wellies in the night club! but I'm not ruling out that possibility.

Hunters from 65 uk sterling

inside out ....

A few years ago forced with arranging a party at short notice, I had to come up with a cunning plan to create a cool and fun ambiance with limited budget and TIME!! The answer - 'inside out'.

Quite literally the house was swiped of all furniture, rugs and even lamps with everything being relocated outside! In next to no time the living room was re-created and we had a sofisticated and ultra cool seating area for guests outside under the stars.

The same was done for the dining room and really there is nothing more comfortable and cool than being seated for dinner 'outside' with all the 'proper' touches.

All it takes is a touch of imagination, a leap of faith and some extension leads to light up the party!

The following images are to whet your appetite and to show you just how sensational 'inside out' entertaining and even, sleeping can be!

Pictures borrowed from my blogs of the day musing of a night owl and absolutely beautiful things

just because....quote

IF.....by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,

if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

quote taken from blog beauty comma - beauty is all around us, just open your eyes.

poem by Rudyard Kipling

bon voyage...

Travel in style and 'in the know' with the 2010 Luis Vuitton City Guides which give the secrets of 31 wonderful European locations. Including hotels, restaurants, galleries, fashion stores and much more. The guides make a great gift for that 'annoying' person who seems to have absolutely everything and don't be put off by the designer tag either!

• 9 soft-back guides in a Boxed set
• 31 cities include: Paris, Bordeaux, Deauville, Marseilles, London, Leeds, Dublin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Knokke-Le-Zoutte, Geneva, Basel, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Vienna, Rome, Genoa, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Lisbon, Moscow, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Athens, Mykonos, Instanbul, Tel Aviv
• 7000 addresses, including over 2000 new listings

Cost 85 uk - guides also available for NYC, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Mumbai amongst others.

uber cool granny.....

I was drawn to discovering more about Iris Apfel having heard about the exhibition 'Rare Bird of Fashion' which closed last week at the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts, USA.

The exhibition dedicated, to arguably the world's trendiest granny, presented more than 80 ensembles from the personal collections of this surprising style icon.

Known for her eclectic mixing of haute couture with costume jewelry and exotic baubles, Apfel started shopping for her own clothes at just 12 years old and her style has remained pretty much the same over the last 75 years. Apfel’s look stands out because she she mixes colors, textures and patterns in a bold and imaginative way with pieces from around the world spanning decades

Apfel a young 88 years of age told the Boston Times (Oct 09) that her intention was never to gather a collection of clothes for a museum. For her, purchasing clothing was always about the thrill of the hunt!!

Quote - {“I like to creep around and dig,’’ “It’s no fun to just sit in a shop and have people present you with things. It was the process. It’s not that I’m so mad about clothes. It’s about finding things and putting them together. That’s the fun.’’}

It's very true what she says and I suppose this holds true for many aspects of life.

just because....quote

wish list...

Elliot Mann is the MAN! or as his webpage aptly puts -

Quote { 'Our dating life is proof that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. So Elliot Mann must be from Marnus. One look at his bags, and you’ll suspect the guy’s too good to be true...'}

Elliot Mann who resides in the East Village NYC makes the most BEAUTIFUL bags out of vintage embroidered fabrics from all over the world, each bag is a one-of-a-kind creation.

All are vibrant in color and pattern with sturdy braided leather handles, and they’re big enough to tote around a laptop and groceries on top of the essentials

The Elliot Mann Province Bags 'folio' and 'lily' are constructed from vintage remnants of 100% cotton and handwoven fabrics and have adjustable handles made from genuine braided leather.

sizes (vary slightly) L. 21" x H. 16"

$275 usd

ideas....

I remembered a feature I had seen in House Beautiful magazine July 2009. The Brooklyn townhouse, home to a NY marketing director Heather Evans and her 4 daughters is a sumptious mix of colour and fabrics. Decorated by interior designer Jonathan Berger the finished result is one of flirty, exuberant fun, ideal for a houseful of girls!

• I particularly like the use of vibrant fabrics to upholster 'antique' style furniture - the result is a refined look but one which isn't stuffy.
• Note that the walls are painted in natural, clear tones which assist in making the home feel more spacious.
• Yes, the wallpaper in the bathroom is quite a statement but somehow it works! The vibrant tone is fresh looking and girly.
• The 'suzani' throw in the master bedroom provides a touch of opulence.

The use of colour in upholstering furniture, in accessorising or to paper/paint small wall spaces really does work but remember that the key is that the shell of your home is a nude or natural tone. Colour should complement not take over.

Fabrics for upholstering from Lee Jofa's range and China Seas.

Wallpaper from China Seas

Suzani throw found on ebay

love, love, love.........

taken from http://rikshawdesign.blogspot.com/

La La Moon update....

With an eye on the future and all the exciting things I aspire to do, I need to, some how, raise some funds to invest into La La Moon... so with that, I have just taken delivery of my second shipment from Jaipur and it is sell, sell, sell!

I have a trip planned to Jaipur in May, and we are working on the initial designs... watch this space!

scarves -

Take a look at these beautiful 100% silk scarves - these sold like 'hot cakes' in Punta del Este and have been seen being worn by celebrities!

Size -107cm by 50 cm

bags -

Draw string bags personally decorated by me. Ideal for use as evening bags, as travel bags, for storing things.

Size -25 cm by 30 cm

buy, buy, buy......

scarves $15 usd, bags $20 usd

an emporium of colour...

Lisa Corti's emporium of home ware, soft furnishings, children's and ladies clothing is a delightful find for anyone who likes colour.

Born in Ethiopia, Lisa from a young age had a passion for the colourful tribal costume of the African woman. At 19 years old she moved to Italy and began to design in-house, before she discovered India which has been the catalyst for her ideas ever since.. Her emporium is a melting pot of the three continents and is characterised by her block print designs and vibrant use of colour.

I particularly like the children's clothing - unfussy but pretty all the same and I also like her ceramics which combine colour with a clean finish.

Lisa Corti stores can be found in Italy - Florence, Rome, Milan and in Madrid, Spain.

just because....quote

Thank goodness for http://paloma81.blogspot.com/ !!!