Saturday, February 26, 2011

I Am Woman Hear Me Roar

March is Women's History Month and to celebrate i've done some homework on a small handful of the extraordinary women that have shaped the world we live in. The snip-its you can read below are some of the women who have inspired me in my journey and continue to do so.

Rosie the Riveter

She symbolized women's contribution to the war effort. Real-life Rosies filled factory positions while men were away (the number of American working women grew by 50 percent in four years), proving that we could excel at a "man's job."

Eleanor Roosevelt

FIRST LADY, U.S. DELEGATE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST
FDR's helpmate, national reassurer during WW II, friend to working women and the downtrodden, battler against injustice, she overcame intense shyness to become a supremely public person.

Dorothy Day
1897 - 1980
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
She cofounded the Catholic Worker movement, a global community of laypeople who choose to live simply and express their faith by serving the poor.

Clara Barton
1821 - 1912
FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
She was a schoolteacher who was willing to teach children without pay. When she was a Civil War nurse she was the need to help once again. She gave speeches and talked to people in the government. After eight years of hard work she formed the American Red Cross and served as its president for 23 years. Within that time, she branched out to help not just soliders but others that needed help when floods, earthquakes, and other disasters occurred.

Anne Frank
She dreamed of being remembered as a writer — and her words have had a life she couldn't have imagined when she died in a concentration camp at the age of 15. Her diary, written as she and her family hid from the Nazis in an Amsterdam attic, reminds us of both the Holocaust's unspeakable inhumanity and the child who somehow managed to say, "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."

Georgia O'Keeffe
Artist
"I have things in my head that are not like what anyone has taught me," she said. She broke with tradition so we could see a new kind of beauty through her fresh eyes.

Mary Kay Ash
She empowered and enriched thousands of women who otherwise might never have gotten a crack at self-sufficiency.

Martha Matilda Harper
1857 - 1950
BUSINESS VISIONARY
A former servant girl, she thought up retail franchising in 1891 to build her network of more than 500 hair salons, owned by women she trained. She also invented the reclining shampoo chair.

Martha Stewart
The founder of a retail and media business empire that includes her eponymous magazine, Stewart is a paradigm shifter: Because of her, we'll never look at dinner, decorating, or gardening the same way again.

Coco Chanel
Her personal life was complicated, her design credo simple and elegant: "Fashion fades; only style remains the same," she said. Merci for the little black dress, the classy suit, No. 5, and plenty of je ne sais quoi.

Dorothy Draper

INTERIOR DESIGNER
Founder of America's first interior design firm, Draper — for years a GH columnist, crashed a male dominated business with breezy confidence, urging women to trust themselves and have fun for cheap. "Style has nothing to do with expense," she said.

Julia Morgan

ARCHITECT
She designed Hearst Castle, among other imaginative buildings, and opened doors by hiring women as artists and architects.

Amelia Earhart
1897 - 1937
The first woman to fly across the Atlantic tragically disappeared in 1937 on what was meant to be a globe-circling flight. She accomplished a larger mission, dramatically expanding the world's notions of how high a woman can soar.

Wangari Maathai
GREEN ACTIVIST
The first environmentalist and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Maathai was beaten and jailed as a leader of Kenya's democracy movement. She rallies women to plant trees (more than 45 million so far, in Africa, America, and elsewhere), thus creating jobs for the poor, fighting deforestation and erosion, and creating lots of nice oxygen for all of us. She also picked up a Masters degree before returning to Nairobi, Kenya to become East Africa’s first lady PhD.


As I'm researching women in history, the information that I keep surprising myself with, is the fact that these "first's" for women took place not that long ago...and "first's" are still taking place today. (and in many parts of the world, have not even taken place yet!)
As a 25 year old, woman, college grad, entrepreneur; it never crossed my mind that "i couldn't do what i envisioned for my life" or that "i wasn't aloud to achieve a dreams or goals". So thank you women in history, you have not only created a path for women like me but you have also been an inspiration. Nobody gave them power. They just took it.

A Perfect Pear

I did the flower arrangements for a marriage renewal event. When choosing a 'theme' or direction for the decor, I decided on 'A perfect Pear'. These couples have been married years, proving that they are, indeed, a perfect pair.

I choose to do a variety of different arraignments, grouping them together as centerpieces on the tables. Doing this is not only adds interest by creating texture and variety but it makes the overall look untraditional, unexpected but still super chic'.
My favorite tulip trick is to submerge them in water. The tulips can handel it and its always a crowd pleaser!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Fork over your Heart

Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? Thinking about this as we approach Valentines weekend, I decided to get the skinny on this centuries-old holiday of love.
There are various theories on the origin of Valentine's Day, but the most popular dates back to the time of the Roman Empire during the reign of Claudius II, 270 AD. Claudius didn't want men to marry young couples at wartime because he believed men who were single made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret wedding ceremonies. For this, Valentine was jailed and then executed by order of the Emperor on February 14. While in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailor's daughter signing it, "From your Valentine." ‘Sound familiar?
Some more interesting tidbits about the day of LOVE:
In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared February 14th the holiday of St. Valentine's Day.

Many believe the 'X' symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn't write their names signed in front of a witness with an 'X.' The 'X' was then kissed to show their sincerity.

Physicians of the 1800's commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.

Every Valentine's Day, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.

About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)

Ignore the snow on the ground. Its time to think SPRING!

Go for Pretty little prints this spring. Make them age appropriate and pulled together by accessorizing with a braided leather belt, straw floppy hat, and wooden jewelry.

Keeping it simple this spring. Wearing cool neutrals gives your look timeless elegance and shows restraint. Having a handful of grays and whites in your wardrobe also expands your options as you mix and match to create new outfits.


Add a pop of color! It will improve your mood and make you feel summery even before its warm out.

Be Prettier in Pink

Each year Pantone, the well-respected color authority worldwide, brings us a color that will permeate the trends for the year in both fashion and in home. For 2011 that color is Honeysuckle Pink.

“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®

A warm, vibrant shade of pink, honeysuckle is an uplifting, happy color and a wonderful way to boost your wardrobe or home for spring. Here are a few easy ways to know how to best wear this lovely hue:
First, Know your skintone – honeysuckle looks best on skin tones in a medium shade. If your skin is paler, opt for a lighter version; if you’re dark, go for a more bold hue. Honeysuckle, in varying shades, can flatter all skin tones, so find the one that works best on you.
Also, Try a new combo. Honeysuckle teamed with charcoal gray or chocolate to boost your cool weather look. Then pair it with khaki, white, or tope for summer spin. Find the combination that best flatters you and play it up to the hilt!
Honeysuckle pink is a shade that can be worn by women of all ages and look great.

For your interior, be bold or bashful but be sure you are incorporating a little honeysuckle into your decor this year. Here are some inspirations as you venture on your quest for the perfect pink accent piece.