Tuesday, 17 February 2009

I love Domino style...tomorrow

I love Domino Style

Hello dear friends,
I quick reminder to join us tomorrow for the "I love Domino style" picture meme.
Choose your favorite pictures, features, ideas,
pick the beautiful button that the talented Tara created, from my sidebar,
post them on your blog,
and leave a comment here.
Then let us visit each other and enjoy our favorite home inspiration magazine.
Have a lovely week ahead!

Saturday, 14 February 2009

Happy, Happy Valentine's

Ecru quilt and Bordalima embroidered sheets


HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY

Friday, 13 February 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!


bedgasm:

A feeling of complete and utter euphoria which peaks when climbing into bed at the end of an 18-hour work day, a long road trip or hours of extremely streneous physical activity.

For example: "It was a three hour drive in the middle of the night, I could barely stay awake. When I got home, I climbed under the covers and had a ten-minute bedgasm."

(Definition as found in Mo' Urban Dictionary: Ridonkulous Street Slang Defined. Super bed and pillows from our advertising campaign).

ENJOY THE VALENTINE'S!

Thursday, 12 February 2009

I so loved reading this!


"Mrs. Obama this afternoon visited the Department of the Interior, where she spoke about how important it is to protect our natural resources and move towards a clean, sustainable energy future.

"These [priorities] aren't only vital for the survival of our planet as we work to combat climate change, but also incredibly important to strengthen our economy and the well-being of our families," she said. "At a time when so many Americans are out of work, sound energy and environmental policies are going to help create thousands of jobs through the economic recovery and reinvestment plan that Barack is out there promoting today."

She also announced that President Obama will soon appoint a new, high-level advisor to serve as a liaison between Native Americans and the federal government, "on issues such as sovereignty, health care, education -- all central to the well-being of Native American families and the prosperity of tribes all across this country."

Read the full remarks by Mrs. Obama here.

Does anyone know the significance of the present she has been offered (picture above)? I can spot the horses, but what does the color and motifs mean in Native American traditions?

Wednesday, 11 February 2009

Our shop today






A rainy day...but Spring is in the air.

St.Valentine's paper-clips


Lovely and doable, perfect for after school blues.
(Jessica Jones @ How About Orange, via Design*Sponge)

Tuesday, 10 February 2009

I Love Domino Style

I love Domino Style

Hello, style lovers, and welcome to the "I Love Domino Style" meme.
Our aim here is to share our Domino love and to show the people at Conde-Nast how much we appreciate our favorite magazine and that we want it back.

I am going to start Domino Love with the January 2007 issue of Domino (Greece). Domino was the first interiors magazine to use famous people on its cover, instead of the usual room shot. That particular cover featured a young Greek actress, participating in one of Greek TV's greatest successes.

Quite interestingly, Editor-in-Chief was Paulina Sarri, a fashion photographer and stylist. She is now Editor-in-Chief of the Greek edition of House and Garden.

As the decline was becoming apparent, new blood was called in. Spyro Soulis, an Architect educated in London, was the host to the one and only interiors transformation show on Greek TV, now a thing of the past, too. He was called in to offer his practical, down to earth advice. In this issue he is being introduced by the editor and advises on how to achieve "Manhattan style".

"Manhattan style" is illustrated by a real life apartment in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece.



Piero Fornasetti items are a perennial favorite of Greek interior designers and stylists in the last 20 years. Domino always chose to present interiors that were modern yet classic and fresh, always infused in beautiful light, as shown in the pictures above.

What also makes Domino special is its introduction of detailed inspiration sheets and 'how to's.

Above, where inspiration came from for a school-type kitchen.
I liked how the editors presented their choices. Even the contents page was original, picking the most special pieces that one ought to read.


Interesting books were also handpicked covering all of readers' interests.

Some of Domino's favorites from the January 2007 issue,
So Far, So Goude
A Room Full of Toys: The Magical Characters of Childhood
Africa
New Decor
Vitamin Ph: New Perspectives in Photography
Larousse Encyclopedia of Wine

Then, there was the fun stuff, like those stickers that were helpful in marking one's favorite pages from garden to presents to entertainment. They also provided a playful, girly touch. Design is a serious business, but it is also fun, Domino seemed to say.

Even restaurants were chosen and presented not only for their menu but also for their stylish and fresh interiors.

In the January 2007 issue Domino hosted a feature on the new generation of Greece's most sought after furniture and interiors shops. They were photographed with their favorite coffee tables.

Last but not least, my favorite page by one of my favorite style setters. A Rita Koenig kind of article, with personal character, that Miss D had began as a newspaper columnist some ten years ago. I loved it! In the January 2007 issue, "Holidays with a French scent".

I hope you enjoyed that first tour. I look forward to visiting your blogs and sharing the Domino style!

Also, don't forget to stop by and say hello to our button designer, Tara. I believe she did a great job capturing the Domino spirit! Stay tuned, more surprises in store!

The French art of bathing

Corey is one of the fabulous people I have met on the web. She is very special to me because. She has character. She has content. She has style. She is humble and she is cool about it. And I like her alot.
Now she has a new bathroom, largely made with her and her French husband's hands.


Dear Corey, here is wishing you many happy soaks.

N.B. Did you know the French keep separate their bathrooms from their toilets? I did not. It does make sense, though. When it comes down to refinement, you can't beat the French. Eh oui!

Monday, 9 February 2009

Monday find-Kitchen wall sticker


I absolutely love those wall stickers from British company Rocket St. George.
It is sad though to see that we are more and more living into a virtual world in which we crave objects and the habits they imply to keep us grounded into our past and sane inspite of a continuously speeding up world.
i love them because they're clever, they are well executed and tasteful and you ca afford them if you're short of space or money: they cost 12.50 pounds.

Sunday, 8 February 2009

Love Domino Style button


Hello, dear friends,
This is a quick reminder about our rendez-vous this coming Tuesday, February 10.
Go through your image banks, leaf through our favorite magazine, scan, post and save, to join in on "ILove Domino Style".
As my gift to you, there is a button sitting on my siedebar. Feel free to copy the code and post it in your blogs. Then on Tuesday come back here, leave a comment and a link to your post, and let the party begin!
Isn't this button just lovely? I think it brings out the fresh yet elegant style of Domino. A very talented blogging lady made it for me, but I am not going to tell you who it is until Tuesday! And there is more in store!..So click back soon!

Friday, 6 February 2009

The creative process

Always amazed by the creative process. An artistic dislexia persevering when perfection is saught.





The creative process through All Over Print, Seaweed and Gardenias, Avatar through Seaweed and Gardenias, and River Bend Ranch.

Thursday, 5 February 2009

World Nutella Day 2009


In honor of the guiltiest pleasure of my childhood!



(NUTELLA and the others)

For more Nutella love, please visit Michelle at Bleeding Espresso; Ms. Adventures in Italy and the World Nutella Day official website.
Thank you for bringing back memories and making new ones!

In order to join in the enjoyment:

1. Do something, anything with Nutella. Make a recipe, take a picture of yourself eating it with a BIG spoon, make art, wax poetic, re-live your first experience eating Nutella. Have a Nutella-eating contest or even a Nutella party!
2. Take pictures and/or upload a video then blog about it ON February 5th, 2009. In your blog post, include links to Ms. Adventures in Italy, Bleeding Espresso, and World Nutella Day as well as the World Nutella Day 2009 badge/button. Please try to post ON FEBRUARY 5 so that we can create a true chocolaty hazelnut wave across the blogosphere on World Nutella Day!
3. Email nutelladay [at] nutelladay [dot] com with the subject “Nutella Day Entry” and include:

* Your Name
* Your Blog’s Name
* Your Blog’s URL
* Your Post URL/Permalink
* One 100×100 pixel photo

By the way: I am a spooner!


Have a Nutella sweet day.

Tuesday, 3 February 2009

Domino and a new Meme!


Speaking of magazines and Domino :


"The first one to go was House & Garden.
In November 2007, the 106-year-old magazine unexpectedly ceased publication. Soon after, In Style Home and Blueprint folded. Since November, three more home design magazines announced their demise: Time Inc.'s Cottage Living, O at Home and Country Home. Recently, media reports have said that Domino is in trouble, too.

Those looking to point a finger for the shuttering of their favorite home design magazines can blame the over-saturation of them in the market and the 24-hour availability of design information on TV, radio and the Internet. Of course, the biggest contributor, experts say, is the economic downturn.

There's a housing crisis, a financial crisis and automotive crisis. All the U.S. economic conditions definitely affect this category.

In a downturn, the leaders are the ones that survive while the weaker ones fall away.

Unfortunately, a loyal fan base and high circulation don't necessarily mean survival. The bulk of a magazine's revenue comes from advertising. When ad dollars fall, revenue from other sources is typically not enough to sustain a publication. House & Garden, for example, had a circulation of nearly 1 million when it died.

A good example is Cottage Living. Launched in September 2004, the well-liked niche magazine enjoyed quick success: It steadily increased its circulation within a short period (it eventually exceeded 1 million). Despite the positive feedback, advertising began to decline. The November-December 2008 issue was its last.

But the publication was not geared toward high-income readers, whom advertisers most want to reach. There's no advertising to support the lower and middle markets in the shelter category, so revenue falls.

"I think blogs are the best thing to happen in my 30 years in the industry," says Drucker, of House Beautiful. "They spread the word about us. Blogs are basically magazines that are not financially viable. Magazines that are currently in peril would probably be much better off as blogs."

The Washington Post article also mentions a design blog I haven't heard of before, called

Mrs. Blandings. Some article writer's relative I suppose, to get a mention in the Post, but you may check it out here. So many "cute" , similar looking blogs around. At least it looks personal...


As I love Domino's style, and I have saved all of Domino's Greek issues, I am doing a "Love Domino style" Tuesday post meme, starting next Tuesday, February 10. Make a note, join me and share your favorite styles and posts. Have a lovely week ahead!

Best buys