Fresh Take on Animal Prints

Classic leopard will always be my favorite animal print but it's good to change it up every now and then. Right now I'm crazy for black and white spotted animal prints.

Current Obsession: Black & White Spots

New Start.

I have not updated this blog in over one year. Why? Life. School. I can come up with more excuses so don't tempt me. I would like to make this blog more of priority. I plan to update at least twice per week and really give this blog a chance to grow.

Currently, I am taking a quarter off, have finished my major in Design, and am expected to graduate with my BA from UC Davis in March of 2014. I am excited for these new life changes and want to make the most out of my time off. Hopefully this blog can become my motivation and creative outlet.

In my last quarter at UC Davis I will focus on making a mini fashion collection of 7 garments total. This will be my first collection and I am scared/excited (more scared than excited). I took this break to focus on my collection in order to create something that I can be truly proud of. I will be sharing inspiration, moodboards, sketches, mockups, and everything else that leads to the end result of a final collection.

Moodboard for today

inspired by:

• Vintage Saltillo Textiles
• Color!
• Abstract Animal Prints
• Shiny Sequins
• Easy Glamour
• Leather Details
• Geometric Triangle Shapes

bright navy + hot pink + chevron stripe

Inspiration for my apartment living room

lots of white, bright navy, hot pink, raspberry violet, brushed gold, chrome, clear lucite

The bed frame and white mirror remind me of Belle's posh apartment in "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"

bright navy + hot pink + chevron stripe

Frieda Pinto at a premiere for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

I almost died when I saw Frieda Pinto wearing brown lipstick. I know hers is more of a berry brown but this is definitely something that I want to try out. I also love her simple coppery lined eyes with black in the waterline.

(image source: all photos are from zimbio.com)

Current Obsession: Brown Lipstick

Lately I've been loving brown lipstick. The last time I lusted after brown lipstick it was the 90's and I was in elementary school. I  bought a wet'n'wild shade to go with the ever so popular wet'n'wild 666 lipliner that I kept in a period appropriate turquoise and purple heart shaped plastic mini kaboodle. I never really wore it out in public seeing as I was a child but ever since then I have steered clear of it . . until now. I really like what Rodarte has done with it. In their Fall 2011 collection, Rodarte makes wearing brown lip color seem organic and delicate. 

I made my own version of the color using a dark red lipstick and some brown eyeshadow. Now I'm on the search for 3 shades of brown; dark brown, a creamy medium red toned Rodarte"esque" stain,  and a sheer natural everyday [Angelina Jolie] nude.  Next time I'm near a mac store I will definitely check out the lipstick color, "Photo" that is featured in this months August 2011 issue of InStyle magazine. Any suggestions?

InStyle August 2011 (Photo by me)

(Rodarte F/W 2011)

(Rodarte F/W 2011)

my homemade version (photo by me)

(Jessica Stam pictured in 2003)

(photo by: Getty Images)

(Photographed by Max Doyle)

Inspo: Ladylike Modern Luxury

Tamara Robbins Griffith design featuring Ikea Karlstad sofa

Betsey Johnson's Manhattan apartment

Martha Stewart

Betsy Johnson's Manhattan apartment

photo by Tim Walker

architecture by Graeme Bell (gdbarchitecture.com.au)

photo by Lisa Warninger (elizabethdye.blogspot.com)

Union Jack pillow by Kindred Spirit Home on etsy

LA decorator Windsor Smith (www.ruemag.com)

Loft by Fearon Hay Architects (remodelista.com)

80's editorial of L’Officiel (clevernettle.com)

Neapolitan Cake (sweetapolita.com)

stylist for Vogue London, Pipa Holt's London apartment (apartmenttherapy.com)

Vanity Fair (signevilstrup.dk)

photographed by Trevor Tondro

Audrey Hepburn's apartment in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Inspo: Romantic Jewel-Toned Vintage Whimsy

Actress, Christina Hendricks with her wedding party
Hamish Bowle's (European editor of Vogue) Paris Apartment

Photo by Tim Walker

from lonnymag.com

Audrey Hepburn photographed by David Seymour (Paris, France 1956)

Jennifer Marsico's Apartment, Domino Magazine (April 2007)

Vivienne Westwood

Model and Songstress, Karen Elson

Hamish Bowle's (European editor of Vogue) Paris Apartment

nudeedudee's Flickr

Interior by Fifi Mandirac in Paris decor8blog.com

Herve Pierre's NYC home

from House Beautiful Magazine

from colettepatterns.com

from Canadian House & Home

Summer: Dream Shopping List

( Moschino Cheap & Chic Denim One-Shoulder Ruffle Dress)

(Topshop Cluster Cherry Headband)

(ASOS Leather Bright Tooled Satchel)

(Bass Striped Elastic Sandal)

(Easy Spirit Leather Grandma Sandal)

June Update

I haven't updated this since March. It's been a few months and there have definitely been changes occurring in my life. After much debating, I finally chose a school. This fall I'll be attending UC Davis, majoring in Design with a focus in Interior Architecture. I may change it to textiles or fashion. I am so excited to finally finish school and get on with life. Davis was the last city on earth that I would want to be in but it ended up being the best choice for me. Now I have an excuse to buy a vintage cruiser bike.

I have also picked up a new useless skill! For the past couple months I've been taking an upholstery class. I finished a round ottoman so far and now I'm working on a wingback chair. I'm painting the feet black lacquer. My main fabric is going to be a black velvet and the contrast fabric will be a glazed black cotton with large pink roses from 1989. I'm going for a Betsey Johnson look.

(grocery store candy bin)

(me wearing M*A*C lipstick in Quite Cute)

(lipsticks I found after cleaning out my purse)

(cute cutting board)

(My Wingback Chair)

(Glazed Cotton from 1989 for the back and sides of the chair)

(Black Cotton Velvet will be used as the main fabric for the chair)