Idea of the day: shawls as curtains!

I came across some photos of Betsey Johnson's colorful home. (Yes...tons of pink!) But what caught my eye were her windows. She used mantones (or piano shawls) as her curtains! I absolutely loved the idea. It gives it a very Gypsy, "roulotte" feel. If you aren't selling your home or moving anytime soon to follow your longtime dream of having your own vardo, then the closest thing to having one is giving your home that Gypsy Caravan feel. Piano Shawls can be very expensive. I have several for my flamenco, but other than that, I would not go buy some because they can be in the hundreds. I did get one at a thrift store a few years ago for only 16 bucks! Who knows...keep looking and don't give up! But if you choose to not get one, perhaps a fabric with flowers similar to a gypsy shawl would do, or even a cheap shawl, the kind you can find in Downtown! And if you really wanna get fancy, maybe sew several together!

Here are some ideas I found throughout the net.

cheers!

One of Jeanne Bayol's book.

Betsey Johnson's home

love those shawls!

via www.fanpop.com

Jeanne Bayol's book.

Gypsy trend...Again.

Indeed, the book of Ecclesiastes was right when Solomon stated, "What has been will be again,what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."
I am finding out that perhaps I should have kept my clothes I gave away since it's all back in style! (darn!).

I stumbled upon numerous Spring 2012 collections and found that the Gypsy, boho, nomad, "tribal", "ethnic" whatever-you-wanna-call-it, trend hasn't left the fashion scene! Apparently, it just keeps evolving. This time, it's colors...and bright ones...and patterns. That's good for me because I think it's timeless. I sometimes feel that people pay way too much attention to trends instead of finding their own style. Anyway, let me not philosophize about fashion, but I did want to share some pretty beautiful collections, starting with Emilio Pucci (via NYmag.com):

 

    

 

Aren't these amazing???

Dolce and Gabbana, Spring 2012 Collection

Here's some Dolce & Gabbana Gypsy Dresses from their Spring collection as well.

Polyvore Wednesday: The Circus Femme

Some people laugh when I tell them that I had dream of being a circus performer. (No, I am not talking about Ringling Brothers!) I don't really sit there and think about it anymore, though a few years ago, I almost auditioned for Cirque Du Soleil. I chickened out, so here I am...writing a blog about! Nonetheless, I still have a fascination for the circus. When I was planning my wedding, I wanted a circus theme, which somehow didn't quite happen, though it seemed like a circus on the day before! All this to say: the circus inspires me! There's a certain magnetism about circus life to me. Perhaps it's that 'traveling people' thing that appeals to me of a group of people who are viewed as bizarre and different, almost as if they were subhuman, yet are normal people with very interesting lives. Anyone who spends a lot of time traveling can be very interesting.

Anyway, here is my inspiration today...

Source: polyvore.com via Gens Du Voyage Designs- on Pinterest

tada! my workspace! (on a budget)

Finally done!

I am such a perfectionist. Ah! It takes me forever to finish something because I am never happy with the results, but I had to stop myself. In addition, my little creative sanctuary is going to grow..so today I stop! Here are the results of all the work I did.

As I mentioned in my last post, I transformed the closet in my living room into the workspace area, so I had to use the space wisely. I added over-the-door hooks to hang stuff and some cute pocket thing to put light stuff inside, like paper, little details, glitter, glue sticks, etc.
 
I added my metal board. It's quite empty right now, but I love it because I can put tons of magnets, hooks, and those cute  little containers from Ikea. I also bought little wooden drawers from Ikea and painted it red. I stuffed all my sewing material in there.



So how much did I spend? About $100 bucks! This includes desk, the galvanized steel shelf, the pockets on the door, desk/office accessories, clip boards, memo pads, and some other little things. I went to my favorite spot at Target: the dollar section! I can do some damage in that section! They have AMAZING things there! That's where I bought the clipboards and some of my office supplies, such as magnets, clips, memo pads, and other little neat things. Also, check out Homegoods. They've got really great accessories for your office for pretty reasonable prices.


The rest? It's all creativity! What's that saying? Necessity Is the Mother of Invention. Yes it is! I recycled: covered cans with pretty fabric, spray painted frames, used empty jars and filled them with beads, buttons, ribbon, and upholstered my own chair with Ikea fabric. So what's next? Work!

Idea of the week: workspace board slash jewelry organizer

DIY jewelry organizer or workspace board by gens-du-voyage featuring star earrings


I am starting a rhythm here!
Mondays I will be posting my idea of the week or a DIY! Since I am going to be sharing my brand-spankin' new workspace, I wanted to start off by sharing one of those ideas beforehand...the ones I used in creating my little haven.

I'll begin today with my steel board.

This is actually an old idea I had used before out of desperation and it seemed to work really well! I went to Ikea one day searching for a jewelry holder and didn't find one, so I went to the area where all the scraps are, as I normally do (I tend to get ideas this way). I found a galvanized steel shelf for 5 bucks (how can I go wrong, right?) and I got the bright idea of using it as my jewelry (mostly earring) organizer. It held all my dozens of earrings, my necklaces, and even discovered that I could place magnets on them! Next thing you know, it evolved into my inspiration board where I posted pictures with magnets.

I don't need to give instructions, but basically, go to Ikea and find yourself a BRODER shelf. There are various sizes. For my workspace, I got myself a pretty big one! I also went and bought some BYGEL "S" hooks and looped them through and VOILA! You can also hang wire baskets or the little plastic containers that cost 99 cents.

enjoy!

wendy p.

update on Workspace

No...I didn't forget! I have been working hard at putting my little workspace haven together and things are coming along. Almost done! My sweet husband took my to Ikea to get me a desk and we trashed the old nerdy one! He spent under 100 bucks and we are both happy now! One of the reasons why it's taken me so long is because I wasn't planning to get rid of the old one, but I just wasn't inspired! I began to daydream of a new one about a week or so ago, and then I spoke to one of my buds...
She basically had the same story about needing some inspiration to write and so she went with her hubby to Ikea and got her a new green desk. Loved it! So of course, I told my husband and He offered to buy me one the following day. yey.

The challenge so far has been to utilize that little closet space and fit every thing I can into it. It also is a bit drab in there, so I have to make sure I make it colorful and inspiring.

My goal is to get done by the end of this week so I can post the "after" picture on Monday. Meanwhile, I sit here and look at inspiration...

Check this space out (via Design Tavern)! (If I had this as my view, I wouldn't need any decoration!)

Polyvore Wednesday: The Gypsy Queen

Starting today, I will be posting each Wednesday a series of my Polyvore creations of all the inspiration that's swirling in my head. Here's today's inspiration board: the Gypsy Queen!

a bientôt

Source: polyvore.com via Gens Du Voyage Designs- on Pinterest

We are in wedding mag!!!

A few months ago, I suggested to my friend, (and wedding photographer) Bernadette Madden, to submit her photos to a wedding magazine, perhaps someone would take notice of her beautiful art and amazing eye! She gave me permission to submit my wedding photos to the magazine/website of my choice and I looked around for magazines that might take interest in her photography style, us as an intercultural/multi-ethnic couple, and my DIY wedding style. So I submitted them to Wedding Nouveau, (http://weddingnouveau.com/magazine) an amazingly beautiful magazine that at the time was only online. Fortunately, the magazine now is being printed and we got an email response from them telling us we would be on the magazine. Now, since this was months ago, we forgot and I thought that they might have changed their minds.

This morning, I received an email from them congratulating us on the fact that we would be on this month's issue, plus they sent me a complimentary digital copy. (Sweet!) I was so excited! I am so honored to be in such a beautiful magazine and the stuff in there is out of this world! We have our own little section in the magazine and it was done just beautifully! Couldn't be happier!



I am also excited that my own handmade wedding accessories and touches were on display, such as my pearl necklace, my bouquet, headpiece, and my adorned Steve Madden platforms! (Who doesn't want their art and ideas on display?) Soon I will be sharing some of those ideas and accessories with you, but meanwhile, if anyone is getting married and is looking for ideas, I highly suggest you get a copy of this mag! If you need a photographer, I also suggest Bernadette. She also is the one who shot most of my photos on this site. Her work is superb! If you would like to check her stuff out, click here!

For more on this month's issue of WN, check out this video: (You'll even find a quick shot of us!) 

WEDDING NOUVEAU is the premiere style guide for intercultural brides and multi-ethnic weddings.
Our mission is to dream in culture, one inspiration at a time. Wedding Nouveau magazine is a digital, print and ipad accessible quarterly publication.

CURRENT ISSUE: Features 110 pages of inspiration including: -CLAIRE PETTIBONE: American Premier of Fall 2012 Ad Campaign with photographer Elizabeth Messina -SASHA SOUZA: Celebrity Event designer and Founder of Wish Upon A Wedding. -AARON DELESIE: Candid photos by the fine art wedding photographer, and indepth with the man behind the lens. -Also including: Fusion Wedding ideas from real couples, stylists and event designers and Fabulous fusion makeovers by international bridal stylist - November Lily...and much more!

Cover Photo Credits:

- Mag: Wedding Nouveau Magazine - Winter 2012 Issue - Photography: Elizabeth Messina - Make Up: Stephanie Lawrence - Styling & Wardbrobe: Claire Pettibone - Venue: Sunstone Winery - Model: Ciara Christensen

My newest muse: Hindi Zahra

I have a new muse. Her name is Hindi Zahra. She is Moroccan of Berber/Tuareg origins. I just discovered her video this week: Beautiful Tango. I somehow found it on YouTube as I was searching under Tony Gatlif, one of my favorite directors, who is an Algerian/Rom and whose movies I love. I discovered that he directed this video.

Now if I had an opportunity to make a video, Gatlif would be the one I’d hire and if I had an opportunity to film my video anywhere, I’d choose either Morocco or Granada, Spain, my favorite place in the world! This video seems to have been filmed in either location. Her love interest in the video looks Gitano. (I would have added a flamenco dancer, but that’s my opinion.)

Anyway, the video is gorgeous and her voice is beautiful. She sounds like an old jazz singer trapped in the body of a desert beauty with a hint of the Sahara.

Challenge #1: My Creative Sanctuary.

This morning I sat on my bed to finish my goals for the year! I finally finished the list and it feels so good, though a bit overwhelming. I am trying to not set unrealistic goals, but at the same time I really want to challenge myself to great things. I guess one of the reasons I felt overwhelmed was because my tiny living room looks like a tornado passed right through it, nonetheless I am ready to begin building my ‘creative sanctuary’: my workspace. I am taking several things into consideration: enough natural light for me to draw and work, comfort for my back, having an inspiring atmosphere surrounding me, a place for me to have music and sounds, and easy access to the things I need. I have decided to transform one of our closets (in the living room) as the workspace since this is the location with the most light, near the outlets, and can be hidden behind the closet doors. The major challenge of all this is having to fit all my stuff into one tiny space, but I am determined! Here’s to my creative sanctuary! Cheers!

to be continued...