Pink Hair Experiment

As you know, I've been obsessed with hair recently. I love talking about hair about as much as I love talking about color. Maybe I should have been a beautician.  Also, as you know, I recently got a hair cut. I cut off about ten inches. I love having my hair long, but the detangling of my hair became agonizing. Especially during the friggin' hot summer. I know, I know, I'm gonna piss some people off. But I like winter. I like rain.  I like gray skies. I know I'm a freak, and I do beat myself up over it. But hey, lately I'm giving myself a break. I'm just in the wrong environment. I should probably be in Iceland.  Hmmm.  Need to add that to my travel list.

Anyway, I love my hair long.  Worn it long almost my whole life.  But it was making me cry when I combed it out after washing. Seriously. It hurt that bad. A couple times I experimented with growing dreads. But not for me. I prefer soft, natural, ahem, platinum hair, just the way nature intended.

The cut felt great, the front was drastically longer, just like I wanted. (see previous post here). But here's the thing. I'm a lover of asymmetry. I even thought about having the right side longer than the left. The stylist wouldn't do it - bless her heart.  She said, this is a great starter cut. See where you go from here, and stay comfortable with who you are.  It's easier to cut more hair, if needed (and affordable since I was at Great Clips where this divine creature cuts my hair for $13, no lie.) I'd much rather go back to have more cut. The adding more on is the difficult part, lol.

So I did it.  It felt great and weightless, fluffy.  But I hated those pieces in front. Can't stand the hair in my face. Was really grateful I had enough hair to pull back in a scrunchy.  I had a short cut that I HATED once, so that's my rule. I must be able to pull my hair back.  But....like I said...those pieces in front.  I adore that cut when I see it on others.  I just don't like it on me.

One day looking in the  mirror, I cut them very precisely.  I am still a great lover of a super geometric extreme blunt cut  Younger friends tell me to get long layers. True, layers are better than they were when I was a kid. But...I think I hate them.  Yep.  I'm obsessive about my hair.  Have been since I was about three years old.  If I can work up the courage, I will share a couple of pics from my childhood.

Anyway, will you just look at that fabulous creature Zanna Roberts Rossi in this pic from Under the Gunn, Season One?  I mean look how fab her hair is.  Although that is deceptive. It's simple, but not easy. That took a stylist who had to blow it out, tease it and iron it and gosh knows how much product. But it's freaking gorgeous.  I am a lover of geometry.  She'd look great with a pink streak in her hair.

And okay, can I just mention those bitchin' shoes she's wearing.  I need them. Badly. If you know the designer, please leave a comment.

I wanna be Zanna when I grow up.  Look at that hair, look at that style. And when you hear her accent, well forget about it.  Working for Marie Claire, Zanna has to remain at the forefront of fashion, and she does it with ease. These vests are gonna be big this fall and winter. They're warm and allow for mobility. I want a gray one. I'd wear it with gray long johns, large clunky bracelet and rain boots.  I shit you not. I love wet weather, and I want to be stylish as well as comfortable.  Sorry I digress. Image via DuJour (warning!  highly addicting site)

Anyhoo...Zanna would like great with a pink streak.  I've worn pink hair in college, we actually died our hair with kool aid, and I was in love with Dale Bozio's style.  I had a corporate job so haven't played with pink hair in many years, and I've been itching to.  Wouldn't you know?  Garnier Fructis has a new line of pop colors?

Not a sponsored post

And reasonably priced too!  What's cool is that you don't have to dispose of it after each use, so it's very economical.  My hair was freshly colored with my favorite L'oreal dimensional color (see previous post here).


DAY ONE

oh dear. wish i had done a streak rather than a dip. the product feels stiff and the rest of my hair is so luxuriously soft. needs some tweaking. put it in a bun to go out.

DAY TWO

pink towels and pink hair, lol!  a little improved on the softness.  put the number three conditioner that comes with the L'oreal hair color on the pink and kept it in all night. was able to wash it and get a fine tooth comb through it. a miracle! felt much softer and like the fading. experimenting with hot ironing the front and leaving back messy.  can't wait to see how it grows out. i'm an expert at growing my hair out.

In my next post I'll have some tips for adding pop colors in your hair.  If you have insomnia, you can follow my pink hair experiment at instagram and/or twitter @margiemax....or not... because I may write about it more...or not....haven't decided if I am unplugging or not, lol. Just taking it day by day.

Today was a good day to stay in the A/C and play with pink hair.  What about you dear, readers? What are you doing this long weekend?

Beauty in the Mundane

Image by Peggy

Hello dear readers!  As promised, I am about to reveal a lot of new art that I've been working on.  As you know, I gave away many of my paintings to make room for new art.  Upon clearing some space, the muses spoke so loudly, I could barely keep up!

As you know, everything looks like sculpture to me.  I see beauty in the ordinary and mundane.  I see beauty in detritus, I look at everything as art.  Indeed, my life is art and art is my life.

My new series of work developed out of necessity and resourcefulness.  I need to create, yet  have no money for supplies.  So much of my work is made from "trash" and recycled materials.

Remember the post about the Detritus Robot I designed?  She is made of detritus, and performs a needed public service by picking up detritus.  She is one of the muses of my recent work.  I am currently seeking proposals from computer animators to make her come to life.  I can see her move, and hear her sounds,as she lovingly picks up the careless casts offs in the hood.

I believe my current work will develop into an installation piece.  Hope you enjoy!  As always, thanks for reading and your comments and emails are welcome!

Please also check out my Urban Photojournal, if interested.  I have been working on some interesting photography.  I will be making an announcement in the next few days about a photographic project I am working on.  Hope you are having a great day!  xo

Beauty in the Mundane

FINIAL

POMEGRANATE

FINIAL

POMEGRANATE

A great weekend and a cute yellow box

Hello dear readers!  I had a great weekend, hope you did too!  Started off with quality girl time with my sister-in-law.  Of course we went to TJ Maxx - after eating sushi.  Ahh, it's good to be queen.  At TJ Maxx, I bought the cutest little yellow, lacquered box.  I love lacquered boxes, but they are usually too expensive for me.  This one was $29 marked down to $4!  It had a little damage that I was able to fix.  I love giving new life to an orphaned, unloved piece!  

Behold the perfect little yellow box on my bookcase.  When a new piece comes in, it's time to rearrange - as you already know.  I spent my Saturday morning with music blaring, a cup of my favorite Colombian coffee and I did my favorite thing.  Rearranged vases and art.  I am really digging yellow.  Yellow is going to be big, big, big this Spring!  You heard it here first. I really love it with pink.  But remember, a little yellow goes a long way.  

Hey, BTW, color psychology works.  I've been feeling quite lethargic since Christmas. I wanted some energy and wanted to lighten up my apartment - you know to make it happy.  What could do the trick easily, quickly and cheaply?  Why yellow, of course!  It worked!  I was productive and happy today.  Saturday evening I spent with my favorite cousin and her sweet dogs.  I've been thinking seriously about getting a puppy, but poop and pee kinda freak me out (may get a cat instead).  I am in love with my cousin's dog.  She's the sweetest dog in the world.  Saturday night I felt thoroughly loved, so grateful and slept really well.  .

Like my sister-in-law, my cousin is generous and gives me the most beautiful gifts.  This is a door hanger she bought me.  In my favorite color - hot pink - of course.  Here it is with one of my purses (also a fab gift from my sister-in-law) and some of my scarves.  I love it!  What a great way to satisfy my addiction to textiles!  So romantic too.

Some of my vases with a cute yellow bowl.  I added a bracelet to my tall vase.  Love the repetition of shapes.

And look what I found!  Pink dish soap!  Got it at Family Dollar.  Because everything should be beautiful.  Even the most mundane object.  I almost hate to use it!

Hope you had a great weekend!  Stay tuned for some exciting posts this week.  More about my apartment, my art and fun fashion stuff too!  xxoo

I Got Mad Gratitude

Hello dear readers!  Sorry I've been so neglectful of this blog.  I've been considering whether to continue blogging.  I am sure most bloggers go through this.  I read on a techie site that if you have a smart phone, you really don't need your computer, and if you use instagram and Twitter you really don't need a blog.  For material that's not your own, you have Pinterest.  In terms of immediacy, blogs can be passe, according to this same article.   However, I don't find blogs passe.  Blogging is an important part of my life.  I really enjoy reading blogs and getting to know bloggers.  Blogs have taken the place of magazines for me.  I also really enjoy sharing, I always have so much I'd like to share!  I am grateful for my creativity.  I am grateful for the kind comments and emails I receive from my dear readers.  So I'm going to continue this journey, to see where it leads.  It's not over.

Right now my journey is taking me towards loving living simply and wanting to share that.  I've been working on a series regarding the joy of living a simple life.  But before I dive into that - did you have a nice Thanksgiving?  I did.  One of the best I've ever had.  I have so much to be grateful for.  Almost every day is Thanksgiving for me.  When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is give thanks for my many blessings.  I'd like to share a few of my blessings with you.

First, my baby brother returned home safely from serving in Afghanistan.  I love my brother so much, I get a lump in my throat when I look at him.  He is a fine man and I am very proud of him.  For his service to his country, he received the Combat Action Badge and The Bronze Star Medal for leading his battalion.  I prayed every day for his safety.  Thank you God for answering my prayers.  He is pictured here with his wife and youngest son, who are ecstatic that he is home.

Image by James Harlin, editing by Peggy

Later that day, my brother surprised his older son at his high school, where he was performing in the play Hairspray.  The play itself provided plenty of reasons to be grateful.  When I watched black and white youth performing together on stage, I cried.  I hoped Martin Luther King was looking down from heaven.  The kids in the play were quoted as saying that racism is not applicable to their time.  It seemed so appropriate to watch this play after the contentious presidential campaign we recently suffered through.  I felt pride as I have marched for civil rights, and have been careful not to perpetuate racism among children.

The story of how this play came about is fascinating.  It was a collaboration between several high schools, one of which does not have the money for its own drama department.  For the whole inspiring story, click here.

Moving to Akron has been a big adjustment for me.  I still feel homesick for Cleveland.  On the plus side, I am enjoying being closer to my family.  I am grateful and humbled that I have so many people who love me.  One of the big things I am grateful for is that I have reconnected with my favorite cousin, Jenny. 

A little background on my cousin.  She's actually my second cousin.  I was dearly in love with her father, my first cousin, and his wife when I was a child.  If you've been a long time reader of my blog, you know that I was an unhappy child and always felt ugly.  My cousin's wife, Sue, died much too young leaving Jenny to grow up without a mother.  I have just one memory of her, and it is one of my most precious memories from childhood, as I've said there are not too many.  At a family gathering, where I felt my usual acute awkwardness, she encouraged me to hold my head up.  She told me I was pretty.  I believe that was the first time an adult told me that, and I needed to hear it badly.  I have carried that memory my whole life.

A few years after Sue had passed my aunt, my cousin and Jenny, who was  about 7 years old, came to visit me when I was living in Florida.  I was about 25.  Jenny and I immediately connected with each other.  I  wanted to adopt her!  Ah life.  We get so caught up in the mundane we forget what really matters.  During my long tortuous descent into corporate insanity I neglected my family, including Jenny.  Jenny and I have recently reconnected and I am so grateful.  I thank God for her everyday.  We have a connection that is rare and remarkable, I have never felt so understood.  Perhaps that is because we are blood relations.  She is truly a gentle soul, an earth angel and I cherish her.

Here is artwork created by Sue that Jenny has in her home.  I had no idea Sue had been such a wonderful artist.  I dearly love these silk screens and that macrame frog is too fab!  So in tune with today's  handmade movement.

I am also very grateful for the loving hospitality of my sister-in-law.  She goes to a lot of trouble to host  wonderful holiday parties.  I always look forward to seeing the artful way she has set her table.   Thanksgiving was great again, and even better because my brother was home.  After dinner, he fell asleep on the couch, and all felt right in the world.  I must have kissed him on the forehead 100 times!

I am also grateful to you dear readers.  Thank you for taking the time to read this humble little blog of mine.  I can't tell you how much it means to me.  And now I'd love to hear from you!  Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?  What are you grateful for?  I am not doing any Christmas shopping this year.  I don't have the money and no one in my family really needs anything, we have plenty.  I am also unable to subject myself to the insanity also known as Christmas shopping.  I am going to spend my holiday season focusing on my blessings, and letting every one know how much I love them.

All images by Peggy, except where noted

A cute tray

I love blogging, and I love hearing from my readers.  It makes my day when someone asks for my design advice.  Recently, a blogger friend asked me if I thought the color scheme of orange, hot pink, turquoise and black could work in a bathroom.  To which I replied, "Of course."  Here's the truth - any colors you want to work together will.  There's no such thing as colors that don't go together. Just look at nature, it's a cornucopia of colors.

I bought this cute tray at Target, and it perfectly illustrates the point.  This would look darling in a bathroom.  Trays are a great way to corral clutter.  I could see it holding a bunch of beautiful perfume bottles.  The bottles should be clear so they don't obstruct the pretty pattern.  Or I could see it hanging on a wall.

Here it is in my kitchen.  Isn't that the ugliest counter you've ever seen?  Rentals.  I'd rip that sucker out if I owned this place.  Back to the cute new tray.  I was surprised to see that I now have a collection of trays.  How did that happen?

jonesin' to paint

Dear readers, I may have to give up my first love - acrylic.  I may be allergic to it.  Today I am missing it like crazy.  I am itching to pick up a paint brush.  For now my camera will have to be my paint brush. 

Images by Peggy.

Doin' what I do

I love hot pink, it's always been this way.  It's been my favorite my whole life.  A new obsession for me is my love of organic objects.  I find these vases from adonde perfect (sorry, I don't know how to do Spanish characters).  They would fit in well with my Fall decor.  Only thing is, I am not spending money, so they will remain in my virtual collection.  They're probably not available in the U.S. any way.  But they sure are gorgeous.  Hot pink is not just for girls, and combining it in this way with wood and a simple shape makes it appropriate even for a guy's home.

Maybe I could make something like this.  The local craft store has some funky wood cylinders.  Maybe I could wrap some duct tape around them.  I'm intrigued by all the cool colors of duct tape that I've been seeing.  I've been wanting to make some art with the colorful tape.  I have a lot of great ideas, but execution is a problem.  I'm not a very good DIYer.

Remember my genie vase from CB2?

I broke it.  By accident.  But I still find it kind of interesting.  Perfect imperfection.  I took it to a glass shop, but they said they were not able to cut it.  Cleveland is woefully lacking in artisans.  Now I'm wishing I hadn't  dismantled my ugly and broken vase installation.

The Urban Outfitters catalog came in the mail today.  I adore the photography, and will you look at what the model is wearing!  A necklace made of colorful duct tape.  It's a sign from the cosmos.

So I bought a couple of roles at Target.  It was hard restricting myself to just two.  This could easily become another obsession.  I'm thinking I should've also bought a roll of turquoise, oh dear, obsessing already.  I love ordinary objects used as art.

And voila.  Here it is - my new genie/duct tape vase!  I think it's kinda groovy. Simple solutions are really the best.  That's my kind of DIY.

Weekend Art Projects

I was very creative this weekend.  Lately ideas are flooding me.  The art I am making has inspired me to change my living room again, which I hope to show you tomorrow.  Here are some of the projects I worked on this weekend.

This is a cut paper work I made.  It's definitely influenced by Marnie Gilder, who I wrote about below.  I love working with organic shapes.  I may be doing more of these because I might be developing an allergy to my first love - acrylic.  One thing is for sure, I must create - with or without acrylic.  Turns out the craft store has a ton of these beautiful papers, and there is always plenty of junk mail and wrappers that just go to waste.  It's hard to tell from the photo, but the dark pink has a wonderful texture to it.

The piece is approximately 16" x 20".  Here it is in my little reading corner in the kitchen.

I'm always experimenting with ways to display my toy collection.  Here is my Vinylmation collection hanging above my desk.  I didn't really like this display, so I dismantled it.  I worry that my home gets a little too witty.  I love my toy collection, but I haven't figured out a way to display them without the place looking cluttered.  I like things very simple.  I dream of having an office one day and having them displayed there.

I always have this urge to change things.  I am especially drawn to deconstruction.  I decided to turn a couple of cheap lamps I had into vases.

Of course, I played around with placement of the new vases, and my new garage sale vase.  I don't have an adequate bookcase for my vase collection right now, so my Parsons table is standing in.  That's okay, I think the Parsons table is one of the most beautiful designs of all time.  Notice the mirror tiles, I decided to take down the curtains I had hung to hide the mirrors (to see curtains, click here).  They weren't long enough and the sloppy execution bothered me.  I don't really like the mirror tiles, but I am kinda digging the silver vase and its reflection.

On another table, I put a bunch of light bulbs in one of my art glass pieces.  I don't know why.  They seemed to fit.  I love the look of ordinary objects displayed as art, and I want more of an industrial chic vibe.

Cabin Fever

By now you've heard it a million times.  It's February in Ohio.  Meaning it's cold.  Very cold.  And snowing.  A lot.

Large treacherous icicles hang from my roof.

And the snow is knee deep.  Simple things like taking out the trash are almost impossible.  Chunks of snow and ice have been falling from the sky all day.  Why don't I live in Florida?  Or New Mexico?  I have cabin fever.

Fortunately I have some great coffee.  And my creativity.  Maybe being home bound is not so bad.

My Apartment - the mundane, the stuff and the inspiration

Dear readers, unemployment gives you a little more time to do some of the things you never have time to do. But - don't make the mistake of thinking that you have plenty of time! Sure, you can move at a slower pace, and deeply appreciate life more, but the time will still speed by. So savior every precious moment and recuperate from the hectic pace. Soon enough you may have to return.

I'm making my apartment shine - the way I always wished I could, if only I had time. Though noisy, tiny and humble, I love my apartment! There are a ton of imperfections, but it's still my refuge. Where I come to recuperate and to experiment with color.

While on hiatus from corporate America, I've been moving slowly and with deep, deep reverence. I humbly offer a bit of the process. I have not been paying attention to the clock, so I cannot tell you how many days this process has taken thus far. I've been in the zone.

One day, I had the guilty pleasure of thrifting. What's so different about that? I often went thrifting on the weekend. What's different is - this time I went slowly. Can't remember the last time - or if I ever did that. Seems I'm always in a rush and my very long to-do list nags the shit out of me. Not this day. I left that bitch at home, next to my watch. I reveled in the immense joy of freedom.

I don't need possessions to make me happy, but I adore playing with baubles. Empty space is a vacuum. When I get rid of stuff, more stuff instantly takes its place. So I'm conducting a little experiment in reversing the order this time. Instead of getting rid of stuff, I'm allowing a few new things to come in - but I'm setting a limit.  I love the yellow glass vase so much, it reminds me of a piece on the set of Down with Love.

I've been adding a surprising amount of blue. The new blue vase was only $3.99! And matches my curtains perfectly! A happy accident! The chalice was made in India and cost $1.99. Looks divine with a tealight in it.

Inspiration for curtains:

From Elle Decor. See previous post here.

This collection came together by accident. Vintage Haeger footed bowl ($6.50) bought while having a blast thrifting with my nephews! Beaded hurricane ($4.99) from Salvation Army. I adore beads and want to incorporate more in my decor.

Inspiration for collection:

These lovely items seen in Domino. I made this collage in Picasa. I think it would look great enlarged.

Inspiration for beads and color:

I love the way Kim uses beads in her vignettes! She and I also share a love for Buddha statutes.

New pillows were cheap at Old Time Pottery, except for the one to the far right. A gift from my mom from Target. She said she just wouldn't be happy if I didn't have it to go with the new bedding she bought for my birthday.

The inspiration for the pillows:

My favorite cover of Domino. I love Prada's jewel tones. See previous post here.

Here's the bedding my mom bought. (Thanks, mom!) She insists I need lots of color to keep my spirits high. (See previous post about bedding here). I'm using more color than ever before! It's addicting! And I am not timid - I adore saturated and jewel tones. I don't really like the olive pillow, though.

The inspiration for the bedding:

Image PointClickHome. (I wish the stylist had edited the work boots.)  I feel like glamming the sleeping area, and I am totally crushing on edgy femininity. I'd like to have a chandelier. It was Pink who turned me onto chandeliers. I adore them.


This one from ShabulousCreations would do nicely.

Or, if we are getting all girly, maybe the pink one. Love it. Also from ShabulousCreations.  The bed needs a light color for balance. These shimmery pillows would work nicely.

Etsy user sassypillows.  I love textiles! For winter, the more the better.

I use pretty scarves to tie back my curtains.

And I love hanging purses on the wall. I'm surprised how girly my place is getting.

I actually ironed the curtains for the first time in my life! They've always bothered me, but I just never got around to it. Although, I am guilty of multi-tasking here. I am watching the President's speech on health care. Shame on you Congressman Wilson. And shame on you Nancy Pelosi. I thought you were presiding over the proceedings. You should have thrown his ass out. Barack Obama is the duly-elected President of the United States, it should go without say that his office is due respect. Now stop hating, you're not fooling anyone. We know it's racism, and racism is ignorant, wrong, boring, stupid and passe! And its time is just friggin' over, okay?

Please forgive my digression. I'm trying not to watch too much politics. I get a little passionate. Ahh - back to mundane.

For so long, I have been taking the simple tasks for granted. Now I am appreciating them. I love washing dishes slowly. It's a great meditation to contemplate the complexity of the movements it takes to wash dishes. I learned this meditation from The Buddhist monk, Thich Nat Hahn. Hahn's lessons in being in the moment, and enjoying simplicity, truly do bring peace of mind.  I scrubbed the bathroom. Microfiber is such a miracle.

And organized my closet.
And wondered, once again, why humans have so much stuff. My minimalist days are definitely over. But who knows what the future holds?

My work space needs attention. I'd like to have some industrial shelves, image via designspongeshop.  As for painting the apartment, and cleaning the refrigerator - I'm happily procrastinating about those things, with no immediate plans to complete either.  Stay tuned to see how it comes together. xxoo