30 DAY CHALLENGE: DAY 19

Day 19 of MY LET'S GET PERSONAL: 30 DAY CHALLENGE ... a talent of mine

I started classes at my local community college in September and by December I'll have a web development certificate - certificate, meaning I'm bypassing all the liberal arts classes and just taking the core classes I need.

The reason why I decided to go back to school is to fill in some gaps. I'm a Graphic Designer by trade, so I know how to design for the web - navigation, usability - but I only know a little about how to make it work ... so after, I'll really know!

My goal, come January, is to launch a couple new services for my DOSSIE-A bride's! YEAH! ... more on that later though ;) ... haha!

Basically, I'm taking the whole 15 credits to get it over with as fast as possible, LOL! My classes are as follows:

Web Design Tools – Flash and Dreamweaver
Digital Media Production – here I'm learning how to film, cut and make movies ... fun!
Video Graphics/Animation – I get to make a ball bounce
Web Design II – I'm learning to build a site from scratch
Painting I – well,  I get to paint :)

So, you say, how does painting have anything to do with web design? It doesn't ... haha!

Since the class Web Design I, was information I already knew, my adviser was generous enough not to torture me by having me sit through it again. I did, however, have to make up the credits. I looked at it as the perfect opportunity to do do something fun - I had to be there anyway, plus I was paying for it so it needed to count!

I decided to go back to my artistic roots. Sometimes it's nice to step away from something to get a better perspective and allow yourself to grow as an artist. Now, I can never be away from my computer, but this allows me to take a visual break, if that makes sense.

Now, I've never painted before, and it hasn't been since '96 that I actually drew something (other than one, 11 week semester at college - but that was eight years ago!). So, I was a bit nervous to be in a room full of youngsters - oozing with raw, natural talent.

Needless to say, my first painting wasn't half bad. It's kind of like drawing but with a different tool and I learned - charcoal, paint, mouse - it's all the same really.

This is how it came out...

This is the statue, Venus Aphrodite.

How'd I do? I would love to know, leave your critique in the comments section below!

______________________________________________________________________

Other artists who used this classical plaster cast...

Giorgio De Chirico
The Uncertainty of the Poet, 1913
Oil on canvas

and

Henri Matisse
Plaster Torso and Bouquet, 1919
Oil on canvas

GET MARRIED IN TIMES SQUARE

GetMarried is hosting an opportunity to get married, New Years Eve in NYC's Times Square.

If you want to shout your love from the rooftops, this is an amazing opportunity to say "I do" live, for the whole world to see! Just head over to the website and submit a video essay about the love that brought you together.

Here's what they have to say:

Now through October 1, register to win the wedding of a lifetime and the chance to say "I do," live in Times Square-the world's stage! Tell us why you should win an all-expense paid wedding in the heart of New York City by submitting an essay and video of your love story. The lucky chosen couple will be the first to marry LIVE in Times Square this New Year's Eve, 2011, in front of millions. But wait, there's more! We'll be enlisting the help of you, Get Married readers, to vote on everything from the wedding dress to the couple's invitations. Over the next few months leading up to the Big Day, GetMarried.com will post photos and air webisodes featuring different wedding details for our readers to weigh in on.

You can read more about it at Blogger Brides, GetMarried's blog by founder and editor-in-chief, Stacie Francombe - who, by the way, is an amazing person! We met briefly at the Wedding MBA and she is totally humble and down-to-earth!

Don't forget to register by Ocober 1st ... that's only four days away! GOOD LUCK!!

___________________________________________________________________

I'd love to know if anyone submits their story! Let me know in the comments section.

DOSSIE-A ON SAVVY SCOOP

Check out Nicole and Joe's wedding suite, recently featured on Savvy Scoop!

WEDDING MERCHANTS BUSINESS ACADEMY

I just got back from the WEDDING MERCHANTS BUSINESS ACADEMY, two-and-a-half days jam packed with AMAZING information!! ... my head feels like it weighs about 100 lbs

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some amazing finds and even more, amazing people.

So, stay tuned and check back often ...

COCO CHANEL INSPIRED

I DIE for vintage Coco Chanel ... however, like most people in this economy, I cannot afford glam items, especially vintage pieces. So, I wanted to share a necklace I found from EXPRESS a while back. To me, it's CoCo inspired, but with a modern appeal ...

It combines over-sized flowers and rows of chains (her signature was to wear multiple strands of pearl necklaces). Something she did often was, rather than pretending the jewelry was 'real' she emphasized it by using size, color and in shear abundance - simply stated, "When you make imitation jewelry, you always make it bigger".

Channel your inner Coco - add a couple flower appliques and wear it as a wedding accessory, or create a unique gift for your bridesmaids. 


More Coco Chanel

30 DAY CHALLENGE: DAY 18

Whatever tickles my fancy ...  hmmmmm ... Piñatas!

As usual, I got lost in the blogosphere - I start out reading one and three hours later, I have multiple tabs open, several searches going on with additional favorites saved for later.

One I happen to happily stumble across is Style Notes (by Camille Styles Events), via Style Me Pretty. There, Camille posted about CONFETTISYSTEM ... HELLO!

All creations designed and styled by Nicholas Andersen and Julie Ho. As stated on their website:

CONFETTISYSTEM transforms simple materials such as tissue paper, cardboard, and silk into interactive objects that create a point of focus, where memories are made and a spontaneous collaboration with the viewer is sparked. 

CONFETTISYSTEM’s creations occupy the space between the ephemeral and the permanent, evoking a sense of nostalgia and lighthearted fun. 

These would be amazing to hang for a backyard wedding - from trees to create a focal point for the ceremony spot or hovering over the dance floor. Add some stringed lights and you have an instant design installation.

LEATHER, LACE AND METAL

As the summer season starts to wind down and you can smell fall in the air, I'm reminded of the that cute little 3/4 sleeve, cropped bomber jacket I bought last season on the clearance rack. Then I got to thinking about my previous post, incorporating skins into a wedding suite. I thought to continue that theme on into the wedding fashion, helping to tie it all together.

After the ceremony, or if you were having an after party, wouldn't it be fun to add some fun accessories?!

CREDITS:

DRESS: Douglas Hannant (2009 Fall Collection)
JACKET: French Connection
NECKLACE: Vintage Christian Dior

CREDITS:

DRESS: Pnina Tornai (New York 2010)
JACKET: Black Halo
BRACELET: Chanel
BELT: Robert Goossens


If your style is more simple, try switching out your sash for a leather one and layer on some long chains.

CREDITS:

NECKLACE I: Chanel
NECKLACE II: Chanel
BELT: Owen Berry


I love to mix a little rock and roll - a little edge - with anything sophisticated. Now-a-days, people are being more creative, taking the liberty of infusing their own personal style. I LOVE that! - makes me want to have a wedding do over!

ANIMAL SKIN INSPIRATION

Happy labor day!!

I had this on the brain and wanted to share it with you!

so ... Friday, I told you about opalescent as a wedding palette. Well, in one of the features was this
rad wedding suite done by Sideshow Press. The envelope liner looks like snake skin, right?!

so, it got me thinking ... what about using animal skin (not real but high-end faux) and incorporate
it somehow in your suite ... like a belly band or backing the invitation?

I'm not talking about your Jersey leopard prints people ... but ostrich, alligator, cowhide, lizard
or snake skin.

Check out these cool colors and textures...

how cool would it be to package your suite in a box covered with one of these?!

OPALESCENT COLOR PALETTE

I was browsing through The Bride's Guide - Martha Stewart Weddings Blog - and there is an opalescent series being featured that I wanted to share.

Opal is my birthstone and I love it, but you don't see it often. Usually, it's only synonymous with bad 80's prom or bridesmaid dresses ... and yes, I had one, it was for my eighth grade dance and it was Teal! LOL 

moving on ...  I love that it has been brought to the next level and is being featured as a wedding palette inspiration!

as decor ...

How awesome are those?!! They look like floating bubbles and would give any location a ethereal feel.

as bridal-wear

I die for that purple one! Not one of my friends would have to feel bad for forcing me to buy that dress!

as bridal jewelry

This would be an amazing gift ... and if your crafty, you could totally make some of these for your bridesmaids.

as a boutineer

This, by far, is my favorite. The leaves really look opalescent and hold its own without flowers. I love the dark veins running through it, they provide contrast while giving it dimension and adding to the texture.

as favors

These would totally dress up any table. Especially if your trying to be conservative on your centerpieces!

See more of the feature here.

RESTORATION HARDWARE

I was at my brother- and sister-in-law's house the other day for game night when I cam across this magazine, Restoration Hardware - ok, wanna talk about drool worthy!!

I love masculine furniture! I also love mounted skulls (not the full head with fur and beady eyes, kinda sad and a little creepy). I've been trying to convince Shelvie to let me get a pair of steer horns for over the bed for the longest time now!

I love large, chunky mirrors. How about that lamp in the top image, it's like lighting for an old movie set.

I also LOVE old maps!

even more awesome-ness...

by adding the two oval mirrors and the simple picture of a ballet dress (oh-so feminine), balances the masculinity of the room nicely.

I love this color palette - warm gray with cool silver and white. ahhhh....

I'm not a big drinker, but I would do this just because! How about those chandeliers?!!!

I saw something like this picked on American Pickers and thought, wouldn't that be neat for a coffee table, and hear it is!!

For more, drool worthy home furnishings check out the site here.

30 DAY CHALLENGE: DAY 17

Hey all... Day 17: an art piece

This is The Kiss, by Gustav Klimt. I've loved this since I could remember! Even did a project for school about him, ha ha!

At first glance it looks one-dimensional but as you continue to look at it, things start to pop. You notice that the couple on the embankment become the foreground and the gold shimmer the background. The layering of the strokes, in and of itself, give the background texture, almost like the feeling of a hot summer's night.

The flowers of the embankment take on a life of their own, almost like the movement of being softly blown by the wind.

She becomes more three-dimensional - her face, her hands, her feet. She totally looks loved and safe in his embrace.

The blanket that surrounds them has squares on the outside but circles on the inside - the square is structured, rigid but the circle is soft and free flowing - maybe to show the viewer that the blanket protects the embrace but has a softness on the inside.
*You can also see the latter on her dress, made up of circles in juxtaposition - a women, by tradition, is represented as delicate - further defining the circle as something of soft quality.

I love the struggle between the two- and three-dimensionality of the painting, but I am also captured by the softness of the love shared between the couple  ... ah, I'm such a mush-ball! LOL


This is what I did for my class project.

I created this book cover in my first year of school, for an ad and layout class, I think ... LOL ... it was so long ago! It's fun to look back at some of the work I did then, it's when I truly see growth. I guess we all have to start somewhere ;)