Mustache Envy

Look what's poppin' up all over etsy... Mustaches!

1. majestyinc; 2. avrilloreti; 3. imadeyouabeard;
4. somethingshidinghere; 5. isette;
6. sewbettie; 7. bullfight; 8. breadandbadger; 9. lupin

From key rings to disguises to fabric to jewelry, who knew the Tom Selleck accessory of the 80s could provide such easy fun?

Out and About {in Galeana}

A lovely woman with her beautiful son. She wears Odd Molly from Galeana.

Celina E. with her son
(photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)

My Favorite Fashion Illustrators

I'm certainly not the first person to write about fashion illustrators - but DANG! - there are a few that I think are tremendously talented. Kat Macleod, Stinna Persson and Ruben Toledo are all included in that list. Their work never becomes old.

Kat Macleod is an Australian-based illustrator. She has a girly-girl feel, but still takes on a look that is both alluring and wonderful. Her work has been featured in pubs like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, but lucky for us, she's done the illustrations for a few books, "Like I Give a Frock" and "The Cocktail Book."

Images via The Jacky Winter Group

Another woman I've become a huge fan of is Stina Persson. A Swedish-based illustrator, Stina uses different mediums (watercolors, acrylics - even photos) to create her unmistakable look. She's worked with corporations like Coke, Absolut Vodka and Godiva, as well as editorials like Elle, Marie Claire and NYLON. Her works have an air of sophistication and glam to them that's hard to beat.

Images via Stina Persson

The last illustrator I'm going to feature today is Cuban-born Ruben Toledo. Toledo isn't only the husband of Isabel Toledo, the designer who dressed Michelle Obama at the inauguration. He is an artist and sculptor by his own right. Perhaps best-known for the national fashion ad campaigns he has done for Nordstrom, his illustrations are witty and immediately recognizable. You'd think Nordstrom would get on the ball and publish a book of all of his works, but alas, no such luck. Thank goodness he's taken matters into his own hand with Style Dictionary.

And if you just want a good reference to various fashion illustrators over the last century, look no further than 100 Years of Fashion Illustration. Author Cally Blackman does a great job of collecting a number of different works by several different illustrators.

Happy viewing...

Download Me, Please!

There is a trend that seems to be getting lots of attention of late: free, downloadable e-mags. In light of all the problems that the newspaper and magazine industries are facing (sigh, our beloved Domino is officially a thing of the past), this concept is an interesting one to explore - not only from a consumer standpoint, but also from a business standpoint.

A few of my favorites are small (parent-focused out of the US), LMNOP (parent-focused out of Australia) and Parasol (style focused out of the US).* You can easily subscribe to them so that new issues simply pop into your email. Trust me, it's worth the few minutes it takes to fill in the subscription form.

Check out pics from the latest issues of all three:

small

lmnop

*Parasol was discovered via decor8.

Remember the anticipation you used to experience when you saw the new Domino? The ritual you created to view that awesome magazine? These ezines bring up those kinds of giddy practices. (Or am I the only one that acted like that with Domino?) They are rather inspirational, I'd say.

Just My Type

I'm fascinated with design of all types, but I have a current infatuation with graphic design.

My background is in marketing and advertising, so I'm no stranger to graphic design. However, I was on the account management and strategic sides. While I was always involved with "guiding" the creative process, I was never involved in actually creating the end use materials.

When I opened my store, I quickly figured out that if I was going to even begin to do the kind of marketing that I aspired to do in the long run, I'd have to figure out how to do some of the creative execution on my own. This was (still is) a daunting task. Many of the creative software programs are not terribly easy to learn. So I started off slow. Photoshop Elements became my friend... as did lots of different fonts.

Two of my all time favorite fonts are from Emigre:

Here are some other ones from Veer that I think are quite nice, too:

Like I mentioned, I'm not a trained graphic designer, but I have been forced to learn Photoshop and Illustrator. This has led me to doing some (very minor) design. I have a few projects up my sleeve, so make sure and stay tuned to see how fonts can be applied to create beautiful things.

Time Killers

I use the Internet to do lots of things: research, shop, communicate, share, work, etc. In other words, I usually have a purpose when I'm online. Sometimes, though, I get sucked in without realizing how much time I've wasted. It's amazing what one can find, what one can tie into, what one can do on this thing we call the World Wide Web.

In thinking about ways I waste time online, I suppose I sort of categorize time wasters into three different buckets:

1. There are the good ole 'standby' sites like YouTube and Craigslist.org that will never get old (or so it seems).
   
2. Then there are those sites like Facebook and Twitter which I used to be into, but am fading away from, mainly because I feel like they are way too saturated. (We'll call those the 'faders.')
   
3. Finally, there are the 'newbies,' the sites that I've just recently come across and think are pretty cool. (Mind you, sites don't stay in this third category for long. They will eventually fall into one of the first two categories mentioned above!)

In keeping with the theme, I thought I'd introduce you to some of my 'newbies.' (You know... just in case you want to waste some time, too.)

PhotoFunia

PhotoFunia is a site that allows you to take your pictures of you or someone else and place them into real-life scenes. This site is going to be particularly entertaining for teenagers or some of your more - shall we say "narcisstic" - friends.

I've kissed him goodbye forever!

Giselle looks great in my store logo.

Warhol was inspired.

FOUND

The Finds section of FOUND Magazine is really entertaining. This group has collected found messages - notes, cards, drawings, receipts, ticket stubs - and created a massive collection of - well - things. Alongside each thing is also a note indicating who found it, where it was found and in what context. A new find is showcased each day.

Funny, sad, intimate, nasty, sweet, innocent - whatever the tone of the visual presented, the sentiments draw you in. It's like taking a peak into other people's lives. Before you know it, you are trying to figure out what the circumstances were to have produced such actions or communications.

The posting for the image above reads:
Reading List FOUND by Blake in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Our local library issues printed receipts for checked-out books, complete with due dates.



The posting for the image above reads:
Uh-oh FOUND by Julie in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A grim forecast scribbled onto a piece of printer paper.
The back reads "BECOMING A MAN (12 YEARS OLD)."


The posting for the image above reads:
Dear Dumplin' FOUND by Emily
I found this in the library at my high school.

PostSecret

Of the three sites I have listed here, this one makes me think the most. It's similar to FOUND, but in a much more controlled way. In the organizer's words, "PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard." The use of the word "secrets" is an understatement. Think more along the lines of "confessionals."

(CAUTION BEFORE READING: Many postings on PostSecret use crude language and may be offensive to some. Please take this into consideration before linking to their site.)


The clock starts now. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Galeana: Out and About

One of my favorite parts about being a shop girl is helping women finds things that they look and feel great in. I mean, let's face it. When we look good on the outside, we carry ourselves differently - we project an air of confidence - that makes us feel great on the inside.

I'm lucky enough that sometimes, I get to see some of these women on the streets in what they've purchased and it solidifies that feeling for me even more. I see them, full of confidence and looking great. It makes me feel like a Mother Hen of sorts.

So, I had an idea. I'm going to try and feature women out and about - dressed in clothes they've purchased from Galeana. I think the idea of seeing these women in everyday situations - looking good and feeling confident - is nice. Too, I always like to see how others have accessorized themselves to create different looks. Maybe it'll give you some ideas?

Lisa S. (left) in VaVa Voom, with friend Carrie G. (right)

A Lofty Vision

We, in San Antonio, are flooded by tacky strip centers. You know the type. They are the ones that boast the huge chains that are too often associated with "America."

Now don't get me wrong. While I'm as big of a Target fan/shopper as the next Joe, I am NOT married to the development that occurs around most Targets. The centers feel dismal. They tend to be too big and over-developed and there is always an endless amount of concrete. It feeds into one of the things I don't like about our country: excess. And as a small business owner, it's hard to watch those kinds of things popping up all over the place.

So you can imagine my surprise when I came across something in a strip center just west of the airport that actually caught my eye: Aloft.

photo courtesy of Aloft Hotels

A Starwood property, Aloft is W Hotels sister chain that answers the call for high design and low cost. And, based on looks alone, it's pleasantly ... well, cool.

Though we weren't able to see a room - they were at 100% occupancy - we took a few shots of the lobby, bar and outside seating area. Take a look.

Like most Ws, Aloft feels contemporary, youthful and intelligent. There is a sophisticated drinking bar on one side of the lobby, and a healthy, clean snack bar on the other side. There are two seating areas and a pool table inside, and a small pool with two different seating areas outside.

In addition, it has some of the extra amenities that some of the other chains of this type lack: a small gym, wireless internet, flat screen TVs in all rooms, and "emergency" supplies like a small Etch-A-Sketch and a game of CandyLand. The best part? The price is right. Rates start at $130.

Upon entering the hotel, the staff greeted us with a friendly, "Aloha." Apparently, this is a part of their marketing strategy (it's included in some of their promotional materials). I could do without this part, but the rest felt right on. I would definitely stay here.

Alofts are popping up all over the place (a second one in downtown San Antonio is scheduled to open in April 2011) and it looks like they are expanding all over the world - and fast. This is going to be an interesting development to watch.

Pictures above are of Aloft San Antonio Airport: 838 NW Loop 410 San Antonio, TX 78216 (210) 541-8881

Pretty, Sexy, Cool

Introducing Elizabeth Walker Carrington: a mother, snowboard enthusiast, graphic designer and, as you can see, a fine artist.

picture by Clay Carrington

Elizabeth's pieces are colorful bits of pop culture. In her words, she marries two things that she loves - art and design - to create pieces that address materialism, superficiality and love.

"My work is a tribute to Andy Warhol's statement that Pop Art is about 'liking things.' The pieces are a blend of design and type, lyrics and images from popular culture all mixed, layered and silhouetted. They are loosely designed on a computer and then screenprinted on painted canvas and paper and touched up by hand. They want to be pretty, sexy, cool—vain with a bit of irreverence—but above all, Pop."

Though she's lived in a number of different places (including San Francisco), Elizabeth has finally settled in San Antonio with her husband and two adorable children. She's officially represented by Parchman Stremmel Galleries, but I'm lucky enough to be able to hang some of her paintings in the store for a short time. She will also be a part of the Blue Star Contemporary Art Center's Red Dot event on May 28, 2009 (more info on that at a later date).

Check out some of her work below. As usual, the internet doesn't do her justice, but I think you will agree that Elizabeth has strong talent and a great eye.

All I can say is YUM-MY.

An Egg-Cellent Idea

Cascarones have been a tradition of Fiesta since long before I was a child. Made of hollowed eggs filled with confetti, they are cracked on other people's heads as a fun (and often surprising) gesture. They are (usually) a fantastic and glorious treat for both 'cracker' and 'recipient.'

For such a small object, the cascarone evokes a huge affect. They are usually around when some sort of celebration is going on, so times are happy.

In San Antonio, cascarones are readily available on street corners, in shops and in local grocery stores starting around Easter time and going through Fiesta (the end of April). If you aren't lucky enough to be in South Texas during that time, you can easily make your own.

I'm sorry that I don't have visual directions to accompany this post, but the steps are very straightforward (albeit a bit messy). If you don't have access to a prepacked egg dye kit, you can easily make your own egg dye. See below for what else you'll need to get started.