Decorating with Fashion Illustration

I'm obsessed with fashion photography and illustration.  I'd love to decorate a room using a large prints of fashion illustrations.  Here's one of my favorite covers of all time.

Vogue Italia.  I'd love to see this print blown up and used in decor.  I just couldn't help doing a couple of mockups.  I used rooms from my post on green below.

Love it!  Electronic decorating is the best.

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!

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?

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.

New Hair, New Glasses!

Okay, so it was way overdue - I needed a new pair of glasses. Can you believe it had been ten years since my last new pair?  Luckily over sized plastic frames are back in style.  I never really liked the small wire frames I wore.  I wasn't really sure about wearing frames that are so dark.  These are blue, and I wish they were a lighter blue, but I do love them.  Believe it or not they are bifocals!  Gosh, my first pair of bifocals. But you can't tell. It's great to be able to see again!

In honor of my new glasses I decided to cut my hair. I love my hair long, but I needed a change.  And detangling had gotten to be such a trial. Honestly, I would cry when I combed my hair it hurt so bad.

So, I went to the stylist. I told her today was "New glasses, new hair day."  She squealed with delight, "I love new glasses, new hair day!" she said.

So here I am with new hair and new glasses!  I went with the Jenny McCarthy cut, longer in front, but not so stacked in the back. Still thinking of doing a pink stripe.

Here's a side view.  I love it, but I may have to cute the front, it's kinda getting on my nerves. Right now it has to be blown dry and then flat ironed. I'm a low maintenance kind of girl. My stylist and I have an agreement, better for the hair to be too long - you can always cut more. I hate when it's too short.  Any way, I love the new look and combing doesn't hurt any more!  Hooray!

Cutting your hair is an easy way to change your look and your attitude. I with we could change our features so easily. I really want a nose job. If there are any plastic surgeons out there who would like to operate for free, please contact me. We can run a feature on my blog!

Hair!

I'm obsessed with hair. I should have been a hair dresser. I love long hair, I've worn my hair long most of my life except for a stint during my corporate days when I wore a bob. After the big hair days, I gave my poor tender head a break from all the abuse and cut my over-processed hair into a bob and stopped with the perming, teasing and spraying. I wore the bob for many years, and wore every variation of it. Bangs and no bangs. Prefer no bangs.  If you want to grow your hair long, the bob is the perfect place to start.

Anyway, it had been over five years since I had been to a salon. Poverty forced me to cut my own hair. But now it's time for a change. Detangling my hair has gotten to be a hardship. I actually cry when I detangle my hair - it hurts.  And don't tell me about magical detangling solutions. I've tried them all, and they don't work. Not for me anyway.

I started craving something more sporty. More carefree and bouncy. The key for me is low maintenance.

Remember this gorgeous model from my previous post? I see this hair cut a lot, and like it on other people, but it's not for me. Honestly I never want a cut short enough that the back of my neck needs shaved. I remember one time when I went for a trim and heard the electric clipper being turned on.  The horror! And then when I felt it on the back of my neck - well, I never went back to that stylist again and there were lots of tears.  The good news about hair is, it does grow back.  Anyway, I love the color of this model's hair. I wish I could achieve a beautiful gray blonde, but I think it would be high maintenance.

Here are some sporty looks I like.  I really love Kaley Cuoco's new swingy 'do.

I'm still really loving Jenny McCarthy's 'do.  This was the influence for my new hair cut. Gosh, I wish the stylist could make me this beautiful. I might even dye my hair red.  Hmm.  So many choices.

Denver: Conclusion

Hello dear readers, even though I've been back from Denver for about a month and half, it's taken me a long time to write the conclusion to my Denver series. I learned so much from a mere five days there, and I have been processing all that I learned and experienced. Travel is such a marvelous experience, isn't it?

Visiting Denver was a great experience. I talked with many intellectuals, and met many people with open minds. Tolerance and love are felt everywhere, making it a great deal different than Akron. I felt free. I will be making a big move in the very near future, and it may either be to Denver, Portland or Seattle.

Many have asked if the reason I traveled to Denver was to smoke weed. The answer to that is yes. But more than that, I wanted to be a part of history. I want to be part of a cultural revolution. It's no coincidence that the natives of this land smoked the peace pipe. Partaking in marijuana is a peaceful experience. Unlike the dangerous pharmaceuticals of the West, marijuana is grown as a gift from the Earth. In fact, there are powerful lobbyists who oppose the legalization of weed because pharmaceuticals is a multi-billion dollar industry. However, it's ironic that alcohol and cigarettes are legal and weed is not.

Alcohol is particularly dangerous.  Weed does not contribute to overdose, fights, assaults, domestic abuse, vehicular homicide and rape. Alcohol does.  Get more facts regarding safer recreational drugs from saferchoice.org.

Weed is good for many purposes. It helps raise the consciousness, as people tend to achieve mellow states and become thoughtful while high. It helps with artistic ventures. The creative spirit runs wild when high. I love painting and/or writing while high. Sex is greatly enhanced, as is the most mundane movements. I love cleaning the house high and meditating on how complex our hand movements are. Hemp can greatly help improve the economy. Lotions, clothes and paper can be made economically from hemp. Meaning we no longer need to cut down trees.

For me there were added benefits during my vacation. As you know, I've been suffering with a strange illness for about five years. Most of the Western remedies used to treat the symptoms make me feel worse. I am always in pain, always nauseous, always feel dizzy and like I'm going to barf. Add to that severe heat and digestive problems due to myriad food allergies. While in Denver and high on the real stuff (since it's illegal in Ohio all we have is skunk weed, not worth the risk of getting in trouble nor the money), I felt none of these symptoms. When pain and nausea are a part of your everyday life, I cannot begin to tell you how euphoric it was to be free of these symptoms for even a short time.

On a more practical note, the U.S. is a capitalist society. And the populace made it clear recently - during the vitriolic universal health care discussions - that they are prefer profit-based models to those that are socialist and might actually help people.  As a capitalist nation, we have a duty to provide a supply where there is demand. And there is definitely demand for weed. We have a great opportunity here for a new crop and cash flow.

Cleveland, for example, would be a perfect place to grow weed. There are tons of empty factories. There's the wind provided by the lake and plenty of precipitation. And oh yeah - a whole lot of unemployed people.

Those of us who would like to see this experiment succeed, must be smart and exercise common sense. Make sure to know the law and have plans in order if you are going to Denver. The media will jump on any story that is negative, so we must act with responsibility.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO DENVER TO SMOKE WEED:

1.  DO practice common sense.

2.  DO know the law.  You must be 21 to use retail marijuana. Don't drive high.  Don't smoke publicly.

3.  DO find a friend or family's home to smoke.  There are also lounges if you don't have any friend or family in Denver.  Most hotels ask you to sign a form stating  you will not smoke in your room.  I was cool with that, because I don't want to force smoke on anyone else. I don't like breathing cigarette smoke.

4.  DO NOT take any product or paraphernalia with you to the airport. It's still against federal law. This will land you in prison.

5.  DO NOT take open containers on any roadway. When you buy your weed, it comes in a sealed container.  Don't open it until you get to your destination. DUI laws apply.

6.  DO NOT leave product in rental car or hotel.  This is tempting, because you think the staff might want it. But this will only get them in trouble. There have also been cases of clean up fines levied for leaving it behind.  I suggest buying small amounts from dispensaries. The stuff is so good, you won't need much. If you have any left before leaving, give it to someone on the street. There are plenty of people around who are smoking, and it's a nice peace offering.

7.  DO NOT eat edibles. This is my own opinion, but it makes good sense for novice smokers. A teeny tiny candy bar can be 8 servings!  Also, edibles don't really make sense, they are all about commerce. I don't trust the process.  You take an herb from the Earth, and you add to it the poisons of the SAD (Standard American Diet).  That is, flour, wheat, sugar, soy, lecithin, corn flower, etc.   It's especially dangerous to drink wine with an edible. Too much sugar!  In fact, I think Maureen Dowd suffered a sugar reaction. Any pot smoker will tell you that her writing is inauthentic.  But that's a subject of another post.

8.  DON'T do stupid shit. The cops fuck with people over stupid things - like jay walking - because they have been told to stand down when it comes to the tourist. That doesn't mean you should tempt them.  They walk around looking like robocop and are itching to arrest people. They are clearly not happy. Keep a low profile.

9. DO behave with the utmost dignity, courtesy and respect.  We all want to see this experiment succeed.

Want to know more about the law in Denver?  See Marijuana Info. Denver.  Want to know more about the benefits of legalizing marijuana?  See NoMoreDrugWar.  For a myriad of information regarding marijuana, including timely columns and current legislation see the Cannibist.

If you haven't seen my article, please see Parts 1-4 here.  If you'd like to see more pictures, please see my urban photojournal here.

All words and images by Peggy.

Denver: A Few of My Favorite Pics

I love Denver!  I can't wait to go back, here's a few of my favorite pictures from my recent trip.

One of the coolest airports I've ever seen!

To see more of my Denver pictures, visit my urban photojournal here.