Some of the most inspiring things are just outside your own window, which is why we're looking to all things in nature for this installment of Currently Trending. From painterly florals to waves to earthy textural elements, there are so many ways to incorporate the great outdoors into your style — this was a theme we saw on the runways at Michael Kors and Preen. Watch on and get inspired by everything around you for this season!
It's the call of the wild! Nature lovers who hope to give their tots a taste of the great outdoors have plenty of options when they design their lil one's nurseries. From log-like bolster pillows to animal mobiles, mama can bring the outside in with these decor ideas.
Lots of women have ideas about the kids they will raise, only to give birth and realize some things aren't up to them. A recent news report focused on Peter Leonforte, a bricklayer, and his son Andrew Leonforte, a singer. It's not uncommon for parents and their children to have opposite interests and personalities. While some moms and dads keep an open mind and encourage their kids despite the differences (even of opinion), other parents try to mold their offspring (sometimes subconsciously) into what they want them to be. Which is your style?
To celebrate the Summer, the National Park Service is waiving entrance fees at more than 100 parks this weekend, June 5-6. National parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon will be free, along with national monuments and historical sites like Natural Bridges in Utah or the Aztec ruins monument in New Mexico. Admission to these areas usually cost between $3 to $25, and chances are you live within hours of one (if not several) area that will be free this weekend.
National parks allow you to see nature in a way that isn't possible anywhere else, and besides breathtaking views there are also a lot of fun activities to do: visiting the birding caravan in Acadia, taking a canoe through the Everglades, or exploring the lava tube caves at the Craters of the Moon preserve are just a few of the amazing experiences you can participate in. I'll be heading to Joshua Tree or Yosemite this weekend — how about you?
If you've been snippy lately, hurry up and get outside before Winter arrives! According to researchers at the University of Rochester, spending time in nature makes us nicer. A scientist behind the study explained:
"Now we’ve found nature brings out more social feelings, more value for community and close relationships. People are more caring when they’re around nature."
Seems like they're telling us that next time we feel like telling someone to "take a hike!" we should take one ourselves.
I typically experience nature with a day in the park or a weekend trip out of the city for some hiking or camping. I've always felt that getting outside was a way to be nice to myself, since I feel calmer and more relaxed after. But apparently it makes me nicer to other people too! Do you spend time in nature? Has it made you feel like a nicer person?
After an invasion of German nudists, voters in the Swiss Alps have banned hiking in the buff.
The tiny canton (state) of Appenzell Inner Rhodes held a show-of-hands vote on the "disgraceful" practice at their open-air assembly. The majority decided to impose a fine of about $176 on people found hiking around their mountains sans pantaloons. Considering this conservative canon only gave women the vote in 1990, it's not surprising that naked hikers make them blush.
Would you vote to ban nude hikers, or should they have the right to go au natural in nature?
Trend de la Creme is a Coutorture Network Partner and our resident comparison contributor--her ability to match runway images and natural phenomena is truly remarkable. This week marks her first foray into the Spring 2009 collections and it's an intense start for sure. Erin Fetherston (before she moved onto a more structured silhouette) showed a Spring 2009 collection with a number of billowing frocks. Trend de la Creme noticed a comparison immediately--between those frocks and the mushroom clouds produced by nuclear bombs. Probably not what Fetherston had in mind but there's no denying the resemblance.
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Kids love dirt! They'll crawl, play pattycake, run in it, and even eat it! Others, not so much. If you are working on fostering a love of the forest in your children consider cheating with a guide like I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities To Help You And Your Kids Discover The Wonders Of Nature ($12).
This irresistible book offers up outdoor activities galore — from leaf looking to cloud racing — that can be copied in the yard, on the deck, or in the wild. Durable and comfy rainboots not included.
Maybe it was a natural follow-up to the garden gnome trend, but it seems as if the interior design world has gone a little wild for the mushroom motif as of late. From high-end fungi such as the Artifort Mushroom Chair ($2,529)
to more affordable items like the Paper Cloud Mushroom Pillow ($75), there's no reason not to ensure that each of our homes has some fungus among us.
Whether you like your mushrooms modern and candy colored or woodsy and lifelike, there's plenty to choose from in the design world. To see some of my favorite finds, read more
