CasaSugar

Inspired: John Singer Sargent's El Jaleo Painting

CasaSugar — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 08:00:24 -0800

In our new Assisted Living group, CasaSugar Community member BrendaStar asked for ideas about how she can decorate her living room using John Singer Sargent's El Jaleo oil painting as inspiration.

Since the flamenco dancer's full, light blue skirt in the foreground is the focal point, I think BrendaStar would be crazy not to integrate some blue silk dupioni drapes to capture that same texture and movement. The dancer's orangey-red dress to the right is also such a great color; I'd bring that hue in with a Louis XV side chair. One of the greatest things about this painting is the juxtaposition of high and low: the dancers look quite sophisticated, yet they're in a room with worn wood floors and decaying walls. So I'd pair those elegant silk panels with a salvaged wood coffee table and a black chandelier that's very simple and understated. Then, to continue the guitar-playing and dancing theme, I'd frame some antique music sheets.

How would you decorate inspired by this painting? Please give your suggestions for BrendaStar below! And don't forget to submit your own questions to our Assisted Living group.

Inspiration - Braids!

D-Lee — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:04:03 -0800

Inspiration - Braids!

They are very 'in'

right now, especially

the side braid look!

View Slideshow ›

2) Words of Wisdom and Inspiration....VIDEO

PinkNC — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:12:58 -0700

Words of Wisdom and Inspiration

1) Wise & inspirational words with images...VIDEO

PinkNC — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:10:54 -0700

Wise and inspirational words set on beautiful background images with the backing track 'The Wind' by Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens.

The Person You Are...

a1stbornunicorn — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:42:43 -0800

...is not nearly as important as the person you hope to become. Oliver Shaw

One of my favorite inspirational quotes is actually from one of my managers at work! I took this photo several years back at my favorite hometown park and it still strikes something in me on fire with the possibilities of what could be.

Inspired by the Celeb: Purple Jeans+Fringe Boots

charley — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:21:55 -0800

The look is so simple. But that's my inspiration. I was supposed to copy Hilary's look, but my black stripes jacket was borrowed. Sunglasses - Rayban Top - Penshoppe Boots - Minnetonka Jeans - Levis

Solar powered grass cutting company asks How Green Are You?

Smojoe — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:29:22 -0700

For sixty days in March / April 2010, the How Green Are You? photo contest on Lenzr requires photographers to look outside the recycling box and submit snapshots of energy saving, environmentally friendly 'green ideas' for the benfit of all humanity , (and the possibility of winning a terrific prize detailed below). The contest index expects to see art pieces and eco positive pictures that might help folks make better lifestyle choices.

So please particpate and show everyone your solar powered home and rainwater buckets that reinforce your own green thumbs and everyday organic housekeeping.
Lenzr has issued the How Green Are You? photo challenge to encourage regular citizens and working class people to share tips and tactics that will enlighten us all and motivate the masses to be green in every facet of existence on Planet Earth.
Wildlife photographers, landscape photographers, gadget bloggers and core environmentalists, this is your chance to get creative and upload photos of unusual recycled material, hybrid cars, beautiful breathtaking rooftop gardens, hydroponic systems and all manenr of DIY organic gardening ideas. Please submit ideas and innovations that you personally peioneered and now think might inspire others to lead cleaner, greener lives.
The Lenzr photo contest is sponsored by a solar powered grass cutting service in Toronto Ontario. The operation uses biofueled vehicles to transport electric lawnmowers to and from each property. The battery powered mowers are recharged daily in the trailers that are themselves electrified by large solar panes (on the roofs of the vehicles). These impressive facts and other details relating to organic lawn care makes this company Toronto's most environmentally sustainable grounds keeping solution, and they're also probably the quietest crew on the block as those Neuton battery powered mowers are very quiet.
Neuton CE6 battery powered lawn mower seen here is the prize! You can read the schematics for the Neuton CE6 lawn mower prize on the Lenzr blog and get even more information about this sponsor's organic lawn care service.

Inspired by runway - Spring 09 is here!

syako — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:15:33 -0800

While Fashion Week is going on around the world, don't forget that Spring 09 is just now arriving. It seems like so long ago since I've looked at the looks from NY Fashion Week Spring 09 so I revisited them and here's what I've taken away.
_

Get Inspired:

Play with your necklines. If you always wear a V-Neck or a Scoop, this season is your chance to play around with necklines. The runways were filled with interesting necklines, let them inspire you.

From left to right: Viviene Tam, Badgley Mischka, BCBG Max Azri, Narciso Rodriguez (all photos from Style.com)

Your inspiration: Buy tops with interesting necklines and balance with simple pants. When buying dresses, try to go for something other than strapless.
_

Get Inspired 2:

Wear a blazer and show some leg. I love the way a blazer can make the most boring outfit interesting and chic. These looks are lots of leg and great blazers.

From left to right: Trovata, Alexander Wang, Jenni Kayne (all images from Style.com)

Your inspiration: Top your favorite summer dress with a great blazer, try wearing a longer blazer with a dress underneath and consider trying a blazer with shorts.
_

Get Inspired 3:

Don't be afraid to mix it up. These looks all have one thing in common, they are seriously mixed up. Don't shy away from layering pieces that you've never tried before.

From left to right: Nicole Miller, Anna Sui, Cynthia Steffe, Jason Wu (all from Style.com)

Your inspiration: Try a sleeveless top over a tank, mix leather pieces with soft florals, add a military style trench to a printed dress. They may not work, but it will be fun playing with pieces already in your closet and coming up with some new looks!
_

Get Inspired4 :

Wear white! Whether it's a white party dress, white pants, white tee, just wear white! It's spring and summer, the perfect time for the color and the perfect time for light frocks.

From left to right: Ralph Lauren, Oscar De La Renta, Sophie Theallet, Malo (all from Style.com)

Your inspiration: Wear those white shorts and pants I'm sure you have somewhere in the closet, experiment with wearing more than one white piece at a time-making sure there's some color with accessories or a print. Buy a voluminous white skirt and wear it with strappy sandals. Break up an all-white dress with a strong belt.
_

Get Inspired 5:

Buy dresses with prints! It's spring, which means that you most likely have at least one wedding to attend or a shower, or a graduation, or something else where you'll need a dress. This year, spice it up and buy a dress with a print. Be inspired by these lovely dresses from the runway.

From left to right: Monique Lhuillier, Anna Sui, Carlos Miele, Doo.Ri, Oscar de la Renta (all from Style.com)

Your inspiration: Don't buy another solid color dress. Chances are there's quite a few already in your closet. Pick out something with a fun and interesting print. Even if you don't like color, you can still find beautiful prints in black and white.

Happy Spring! And hope you've been inspired.

Inspiration - The Look Inside

Iveenia — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:11:00 -0700

Today – it came up – the title – Inspiration – out of a comment – thinking about it just a little longer…

Inspiration does not just come to you when you snap your fingers...

It appears when it appears like: NOW - NOW it is time – like: you are called - right?
When you write your things - you cannot just write – you need inspiration – have you ever had the situation when writing a letter “the old style” – i.e. on a piece of paper with a pen? I have and admit – many times thrown pages to my waste paper basket – yes – true. And sometimes you just sit there and all “runs out of you” / “pours on your paper” without even thinking hard – maybe some of you can remember nowadays we blog – we are sitting in front of a screen and pouring our thoughts on a “virtual piece of paper” we can even correct before sending – with a spell check – wow – we were never able to do so – we had dictionaries next to us and were looking up things in books – today we have online dictionaries – or Wikipedia – what a progress… still till today – I sometimes write letters – yes personal letters – for example condolences – now can you come up with something just like that – i.e. a condolence card? It is a real art to meet the terms and get them right on a piece of paper… I would never write a condolence card by compie – that is just not personal enough…

So we get back to our subject:
"BANG you get your inspiration” - a lightning in your head; can be at any time - you mail, wash dishes, work, have a meeting, cook – or: you dream it... whatever you do - the spark of inspiration can hit you at any time
And then - we need time - time to spread our thoughts and put them back into a neat package of letters, pictures and/or other creations...

Wishing you all - inspirational days
This which goes with that picture – that was the same – I found the lady “only yesterday” yet was looking for something entirely different – that is true inspiration – you find what you are looking for - it will call (for) you

The Runaways with Self Magazine

sharpysunshine — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:00:24 -0700

In the ’70s, The Runaways–the first all-girl American rock band–shattered rock ‘n’ roll stereotypes and inspired their peers to follow their dreams. Now, a new era of stars inspires their generation by re-telling an old story. „I don’t think a lot of people know what options the first all-female rock ‘n’ roll band had,“ Kristen Stewart told SELF during an interview in New York earlier this week. „A lot of girls don’t realize there was a time when you couldn’t do something, like you really couldn’t do that [be in a band]–it was unexpected and looked down upon. We’ve grown up thinking we can be happy and do whatever we want, but back in the day, in terms of attitude and being who you are just personally, you used to not be able to be.“ The movie, which focus on the relationship between edgy punk-rocker Joan Jett and Bowie-obsessed Bardot lookalike Cherie Curie, is as much a raw, gritty look at the L.A. rock scene as it is a cautionary coming-of-age tale. As Jett, Kristen Stewart has found an outlet for all the buttoned-up angst of the Twilight franchise–from her jet-black hair to rough voice, she channels the musician’s nervous energy and fierce passion to make her dream a reality to a tee. Dakota Fanning plays her counterpart, the 15-year-old Curie who, after being plucked from the roller-rink crowd, goes from sex kitten to drug addict seemingly overnight. The chemistry between the two actresses is as electric as their eyeliner. So who inspires these stars? „My mom,“ Fanning told us. „She’s my best friend and with me every day from when I started up until now. My mom actually read [the script] first and told me I needed to read it. My parents know this is something I want to do forever, and they understand and support me.“ „I’ve grown up with really strong women, so definitely my mom,“ Stewart agreed. „I haven’t had that many role models, but Joan has become one.“ Having the opportunity to actually work with the real people their characters were based on was also an inspiring experience for both of the actresses. „I guess in a way it’s easier to play characters that are whole and complete, real people,“ said Fanning. „You’re not playing this figure or person that somebody make up. You’re actually doing something real. But at the same time, when you know a person, everything changes your perception of it. But as long as they feel real to you, it doesn’t matter if they are or not.“ But singing in front of those „real people“? “It was never something that was easy,“ Stewart told us. „You don’t know if you can do something until you do it, and we don’t rehearse a whole lot so it didn’t feel real until it really was the real deal. When we did ‘Cherry Bomb,’ I couldn’t bring myself to hold the guitar right. Joan was there and I thought she was mad at me or something and thinking oh my god, you did horrible. And then it ended up being great.“ As for Fanning, „You have the responsibility of singing like Cherie Curie, singing a song like ‘Cherry Bomb’ that’s so iconic to so many people. It was completely intimidating!“ Last night, The Runaways stars–including Stewart, Fanning, Jett, Curie, Michael Shannon, Riley Keough, director Floria Sigismondi–arrived in New York City to celebrate the premiere at Soho’s Sunshine Cinema. Also in attendance: today’s inspiring female celebs, including Kirstie Alley, Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio, Life Unexpected star Shiri Appleby, Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chloe Sevigny.