Mood Board: Serene Blues

Dear readers, as you know this Fall I have been falling deeply in love with blue. It's actually surprising for me, and it started as an experiment in color psychology. I want to feel serene, cool and confident, yet comfy. I've been mixing all shades of blue, from royal and electric blue to periwinkle to the more green blues like teal, turquoise and aqua. So naturally when I saw this fierce design by Christian Siriano, I about fainted.

Okay, it's from his Spring/Summer 2015 collection, but since we are seeing it now, I'm using it for Fall inspiration. I know, I know, I've mentioned a zillion times that Christian is a genius. But what can I say? The guy is a genius! His use of color and texture is unparalleled for a designer of his young years. I mean will you just look at this outfit?  Sleek royal blue top paired with big aqua skirt, then add just the tiniest acrylic purse. Ahhh. She looks adorable. Where is she going in this outfit? Why to play the cello with the orchestra, of course. After that she needs a cute, little room to relax in. I've always loved designing rooms based on fashion, and this is a room I actually want.

When you are a magnificent beauty, you don't need to many things around you, but they should all be beautiful. Furniture is actually secondary to art. Start with a comfy place to lounge, add a couple of paintings, a vase and a fabulous lamp and you have a gorgeous room. Want more layers? Add a rug, a throw and pillow.

Sources:  Man dig that over sized lamp and shade. Formerly available at The Bomb Shelter. I would've snatched that up, but I wasn't fast enough. Blue sofa also at The Bomb Shelter. Gorgeous violet painting by Cheryl Wasilow, wish I'd painted that!  Blue tree painting by the fabulous Haley Litzenger. I need that painting. Vase formerly available from West Elm.

Favorite Colors for Fall

If you've read this blog for a while, you know that I am in love with pink. It's my favorite color, always has been and probably always will be. But lately I've been conducting an an experiment in color psychology. Since I always feel hot, I am trying to make my place feel cool. I've been using a lot of blue. Totally new for me, and I've come to love it.

Benjamin Noriega Ortiz

Blue is ethereal and makes me feel close to water - something I've always enjoyed.   I love all the shades of blue, especially periwinkle. I also love blue and periwinkle with purple, lilac and lavender.  And I love lilac with aqua and turquoise.

 

I also love these colors used in a Moroccan motif.

My BFF Got Married ...or... Another Facebook and eHarmony Miracle!

Dear readers, here is another Facebook miracle.  As you know, I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, but right now it's tipping more toward the love side.  Ahhh to be a Libra.  It's all about balance.

Anyhoo, my pal Elena and I were friends in high school and were in marching band together. My family moved in high school and eventually we lost touch. Some 30 years later, we are reconnected and it is like no time has passed. She's still the sweet, funny, patient, great listener she always was. She's smart, she's supportive and cute. Well, she's as close as you get to perfect.

She got married Saturday. It was one of those spectacular days that are too few and far between. It was all about love.

I was thrilled to do the bride's makeup. That's something I've always wanted to do. Can you believe, I've never been a bridesmaid? I've never helped a bride primp. This was a moment I savored. Elena felt like my life size Barbie doll.  What a day for my camera to poop out! I apologize for the poor lighting, I had to use my Android, but I made the best of it, so I thought I'd go with a Fall motif to make it look intentional. I don't think anyone's fooled though! :)

Here's the story of Elena and Eric's Wedding, 9/13/14

Before. We all were giddy helping Elena get ready and she was adorably nervous.

Had a hard time getting her to hold still, lol.  But here is the finished make up, she wanted a fresh look.

I also got to help style her hair, headpiece and jewelry.  So fun.

Her chic and stylish mother helped too! I did her makeup as well. What an honor! Look at that pose! She looks like The Grande Dame of Haute Couture And dig that cape. I tried to steal it from her, but my plans were foiled.

Beautiful and delicious chocolate cake.

The yard looked romantic and inviting.

Princess Obie, the ring bearer, greeter and official eater.

Elena thinks of everything! Insect repellent and sunblock.

My seat! I was treated like a VIP. How cool is that?

Photo by Peggy

Photo by Lona Gless

Eric catches his first glimpse of his beautiful bride. Even now, I want to cry looking at these pictures. It really doesn't need description - it's all there in his eyes. It's love. I love seeing the different angles from different photographers.

Oh gosh, I'm goner in like two seconds. Sitting in the front row, sobbing. And I do mean sobbing. Not dainty little tears you can dab at with a cute hanky. Nope. Sobs. Thank goodness for my big ass sunglasses.

Photo by Lona Gless

Cooper, the best man.

It's all about love.

Photo by Lona Gless

Elena finally tears up, even though she tried not to. I wish I had taken this picture! Lona perfectly catches the love in her eyes. Elena looks stunningly beautiful, I am so proud of my styling. Again, it's all about love.

First dance as a married couple.

Elena's post/wedding reception outfit was to die for!  I love that she's still wearing her head piece. Love the pashmina which was loaned to her by Lona Gless (of the above marked photos). Apparently Lona has style. And will you look at Elena's swag. The pashmina is paired with a flower so she can be carefree and not worry about it falling off. Combined with the boots and jeans you have the perfect mix of hard and soft.

Dirty dancing! Yes Elena and Eric have mojo to spare. This was such an emotional day for me, Elena and I had been so boy crazy in high school.  All I wanted was a boyfriend, and I couldn't seem to find one. We used to dream of one day being loved and looked at the way Eric looks at her. As I watched from my seat I thought, "Huh, she did it." She had found what we dreamed about - some 30 years later, and through the miracle of Facebook I got to see it!

P.S.  The happy couple met on eHarmony and they highly recommend it!


All photos by Peggy, except where noted.  No photo to be copied or reproduced without the express permission of the editor of Creative Influence.

Celebrating Color: Green!

I'm one of the few people I know who are actually looking forward to Fall and Winter.  Fall is my favorite time of year. Lately I haven't been able to go outside much because the heat and I just don't get along.  But I love walking in the park in the Fall.  I love observing nature's cycles.

Our area of the globe has been lushly green because we've had a lot of rain.  I love rain, and I love grey skies. Still deciding where I'm moving - Seattle is a contender.

 Image by Peggy

I've been under the weather for a couple of weeks, I need to cheer myself up. When it comes to cheering myself up, color psychology works best. I love contemplating (and writing about color).  For the next week or so, I'll be focusing on color and will conclude with showing how I'm using color in my apartment at the moment (you might be surprised).

It seems appropriate to do a feature about green. Funny thing about green. Though I adore it outside, and am deeply in love with trees, I don't really like it much in my decor. I have used mint green, sage, aqua and chartreuse.  I'm not a fan of true green nor forest green in my home. Of course, when it comes to color in my home, I've learned never to say never. I've used orange and yellow in my home - two colors I never thought I'd use.  Still not really a fan of red in the home, but love red clothes.

I think no one can do green better than Mother Nature. Green is obviously on trend for fall.  Green accessories are everywhere. 

You are in luck if you want a green accessory for your home. Green accessories are everywhere. I took this photo at Home Goods.

Photo by personal friend of editor, not to be used without permission

If I were going to use green in my place, it would be bright green.  And of course, it would be coupled with pink. Pink looks great with everything!  I love this picture taken at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by my sister-in-law. Check those guitars and those bearded drums. I could design a room around this photo. Yep, bright green and pink art and white faux fur.  It would be fab.  This pic would also look cool blown up to poster size.

Designer Kristine Guico (Project Runway, Season 13) made this cute green dress for the unconventional challenge. I could design a room around this dress.  Yep, bright green and graphic vintage marquee letters.  It would be fab.

Remember the winner of Project Runway, Season 4, kid genius and designer extraordinaire, Christian Siriano?  Christian is arguably the most talented and successful of the Project Runway alumni. I've never worn green, but I'd be tempted to wear these gorgeous pieces for Fall and Winter.  Of course, they are a forest green.  I predict we will see a lot of forest green in fashion this Fall, and it will be paired with purple.

Here's a few pictures of rooms featuring green.  I love how fresh these rooms are.

This image is from an inspiration folder I started preparing when my friend Haley got a fab new place. She's an earthy kind of girl and I dig her style. Green sofa looks fabulous in this organic/industrial spot.  Love the unexpected pop of color from the pouf.  I also love me a round coffee table.  Image VT Wonen.

I love the color scheme of the pink, blue and green.  You wouldn't really call these pastel colors, nor are they exactly jewel tones.  Maybe you'd call them candy colored.  Love metallic touches as well. Fig House design by Emily Henderson.  Emily is a master at using the color green.  I adore Emily, even though our aesthetics are very different. Emily was the winner of Design Star, Season 5.  Remember her fabulous green ceiling?
 

 I miss her show on HGTV!  Oh and BTW - I just gotta show you Emily's baby son Charlie (click here).  Isn't he the cutest little guy you've ever seen!  Image via HGTV.

Emily recently designed office space for Oh Joy!  I dig that green sofa with the pink chairs.  Love the yellow and blue pillows too.  Don't really love the galley wall.  This is a big difference in mine and Emily's aesthetic.  I think it looks cluttered.  I prefer that art doesn't compete with each other and prefer one large piece.  I've written about this in previous posts, and this will also be the subject of an upcoming post.

I dearly love this bedroom.  Beautiful use of color.  Most of the room is white with pops of pink, salmon and green.  An unexpected touch is the use of the gray quilted headboard which mimics the pattern on the chair.  Love how fresh and airy this place looks.  Love the white floor!  Image source unknown.

Another beautiful earthy room.  Love the planks, love the white floor.  Love the sofa and pillows.  Hate the animal skin rug, but all in all a gorgeous room.  Nice take on lodge style.  Image Myrica Bergqvist.
 

I love this green coffee table.  You don't have to do your whole room in green, you can add just a pop.  Photo Patric Johansson for Elle Interior.

Eeeek!  My favorite sofa of all time - the Poet Sofa by Finn Juhl.  The sofa would look great in any color, but it looks particularly fab in pale green.  Love the green coffee tables, kinda look like floating lily pads. That's why I love legs on my furniture - so everything looks like it's floating.  The concrete planter is a nice touch as is the green wire sculpture.  Image via Living Etc.

Notice the sculpture behind the sofa in the above pic.  Reminds me of this green sculpture I saw at The Land of Plenty. I dig it. Would look great in a large industrial loft. Would be cool in a garden too. I didn't buy it because I 'm not making any big purchases because I will be moving soon.  More to come on that in the near future.

These art glass vases by Paola Navone would add a soft green, organic touch to a room. I was struck by these, thinking they look like sea anemones and would look great in a large aquarium.  They are appropriately named fish vases and are available at Crate and Barrel.

Here's an experiment where I was using emerald (Pantone's color of the year for 2013), in my home. I even painted the vase to match. My place doesn't look like this right now.  Reveal coming up soon, if I can ever get the place cleaned up!

After spending so much time talking about pop colors for your hair, it doesn't seem right not to include an example of green as a pop hair color.  This fab creature is sporting a fab green ponytail, yet another way to add your pop color.  It's all about fun.

Image via Teen Vogue.

For more fabulous green hair ideas, see my previous post about Natasha Lillipore here. Why not be brave and have fun with your look when you go out this fall?  Don't forget your green nail polish and eyeshadow.

 Image via EyeshadowLipstick.com

What about you dear readers?  Do you love green?  Are you going to be wearing green or using green in your home decor this Fall?

Tips for adding a pop color to your hair

Image via behindthechair.com

It was Dale Bozio who first turned me on to pink hair.  In college we used to experiment with dying our hair pink with kool aid!  It's been a long while since I've experimented with pink hair, and hair products have improved substantially.  I've been experimenting with adding a pop of pink to my hair. It still needs a little tweaking, but I'm having fun!  If you're thinking of adding a pop color to your hair, here's a couple of tips I'd like to share.

If your hair is already dyed with a permanent color, there's a couple things you'll want to consider.  Pop colors tend to be semi-permanent.  Freshly colored hair will be more porous and the semi-permanent dye will stay in your hair much longer. It won't actually wash out, but rather fade over time.  This is the look I was going for.

If you want the semi-permanent color to wash out quickly, postpone coloring your hair with permanent dye. For best results, have the color done by a professional.  However,these tips are for those of us with limited budgets, or who just like to do our own hair.

I used Garnier Fructis' new color styler in pink. I am still tweaking my technique, my hair isn't exactly like I want it yet. Garnier Fructis' semi permanent color doesn't have to be disposed of after each use, making it highly economical.  Here's a couple of supplies you will want to buy:

1.  Extra disposable gloves.  The box only comes with one pair and the dye is difficult to wash off your hands.

2.  Paint brushes.  The size will depend on the amount of hair you want to color.  For a dipping technique, use a larger brush.  For a streak, use a small one.  Trust me, it is not easy to apply a pop color with your fingers.  Save your fingers for all over color.

3.  Bobby pins.  It's easier to be more precise with the dye if pin back hair you don't want to dye.

4.  Be fearless and have fun!  Playing with your hair is the easiest way to change your look.  And the great thing is that it grows back.

Want to OD on some pink hair?  I'm your pusher. See my pink hair gallery at flickr here. See my pinterest board here.

I know I've been talking about hair a lot lately.  I'm going to change focus in my next post.  For the next week or so we will be talking about one of my favorite subjects - color!

Girl Crush: Meg Ryan

Still obsessing about hair, this edition of Girl Crush is dedicated to Meg Ryan. Lately, I can't get enough of her films. I recently watched Hanging Up (2000), Proof of Life (2000) and Kate & Leopold (2001).  The girl sports some funky hair dos.  And she pulls them off, no matter what length, short or long.

I love everything about her, from her casual wardrobe to her Betty Davis walk. Mostly, though, I love how she embraces fine blond hair, which is often tussled and downright messy. Her beauty has a carefree and comfortable feel that I find inspirational, making her my current muse. I think my next hair cut maybe this last one.

Google images.