Happy Paddy's Day

I do not believe there is any Irish blood in my vast filipino background, but that didn't stop me from celebrating St. Patrick's Day growing up. I remember as a kid I was so afraid of not wearing green because that would usually result in me getting a swift and painful pinch from my siblings. 

In celebration of St. Paddy's Day, this blog post is done DesignStylePop! style:

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Design. San Diego's Emerald Plaza Building, located in downtown San Diego, is probably the most visible sight when you fly into San Diego at night. It's the fifth tallest building in San Diego clocking in at 450 feet. It's architectural style is post-modern. It is quite literally our own Emerald City.

Style. I've always admired Monique Lhuillier's fashion. The fact that she is also part-Filipino doesn't hurt, but at the same time she has a wonderful sense of what looks good on a woman by highlighting and enhancing our femininity by her common use of lace and flowing chiffon. Her Fall 2013 collection I'm completing loving, there is such an opulence to it. She even uses Pantone's color of the year (Emerald) to good effect. 

Pop. Kermit the Frog is my favorite muppet. His Rainbow Connection performance sitting by the lily pond strumming on his banjo was as touching as they come. Kermit was always a little too unsure of himself- reminds me of myself. So it was nice to see this inspirational billboard on the freeway from the Foundation for a Better Life. Even a frog like Kermit should feel confident and proud and show to everyone that it is easy "being green."

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!

TGIF

Okay, it's Friday, I'm happy that the weekend is almost here and I found the gosh damn cutest gif of a baby duck running towards a camera.  So random, but makes me as happy as a clam in high water.  Enjoy!

I Kill Plants

True story - when I was in college, my sister gave me her cactus plant to take care of. I thought this shouldn't be too hard - Desert plants do not need much water right? They reside in dry and hot climates!...Wrong!

You know when you watch those nature documentaries and they show time lapse footage of a plant slowly dying, well this cactus did not slowly wilt away, it quite literally fell over right in front of me! It was hollow and dead inside and it looked kind of like this:

A pretty dead-on characterization of that cactus (well, minus the x's for eyes and the downward smile). Needless to say, no one ever gives me plants to take care of anymore. I am also lucky that my husband has a green thumb and actually enjoys taking care of our plants (he also cooks and therefore I am the luckiest woman on the planet). 

What's a girl to do when I love looking at plants but have such a 'black' thumb? Well, you go fake.

These adorable paper plants and succulents (including a paper pot) are obviously fake, but they are so whimsical, quirky and colorful that I wouldn't mind having them sit on my window sill as decoration. No watering necessary - bonus!

The Flirty Guide has a brilliant DIY tutorial on creating these pretty little origami cherry blossoms on real branches. No potential of wilting petals. Brilliant.

Of course, as with life, there is always hope. I haven't given up on having real plants and discovered the trick to keeping plants alive...it's called water stupid.

I'm Nesting

(photo by Fanghong)

I have a couple of Matryoshka dolls or more commonly known as Russian nesting dolls. The whole idea of opening up something and finding something even smaller in it was always interesting to me. The typical Matryoshka dolls had the outside figure as a Russian peasant woman, which when opened repeatedly eventually revealed a baby inside. 

Lately, it's the more modern renderings of Nesting dolls that have got me thinking of buying outside the typical Matryoshka versions. They are all clever and some have a sense of humor about them. 

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Bow Ties are Cool

"I wear your granddad's clothes, I look incredible" - Macklemore

It used to be in the day that bow ties were considered for older, professorial gents or Alfalfa from Little Rascals, but now I'm noticing that the bow tie is making it's comeback with a much cooler crowd.

I'm personally digging the guy who can sport this look outside of your typical red carpet tuxedo. If you can wear a bow tie with your suit or with just a dress shirt and look like you own it, then you are superbad in my book.

Is the bow tie sexy?  That can be debatable, but it does have a certain hipster-nerd-cool vibe to it.

Need proof? Check these guys out:

The Gosling. Nuff said. The guy could wear a bucket on his head and still look cool.

JT. I can now forgive him for his frosted tips, diamond earrings and questionable fashion sense back in his *NSync days, because JT is such the renaissance man and he knows a good bow tie when he sees it. 

JGL. Not only was he the best character with style in Inception, but on the red carpet he knows how to rock a bow tie. If there is a word to describe JGL, it's "dandy."

K. West. Before he lost cool credit by dating a Kardashian, Kanye had better taste in accessories with his bow ties.

RDJr. Only Iron Man himself can get away with the polka dot bow tie and striped jacket. His irreverent style fits his personality to a T. 

Harry.  I'm an old fogey, so I only knew about this kid by reading US Magazine and dancing (badly) to his band's song on Wii's Just Dance 4, but I find his last name fitting - this kid has "Style"s.

B. Goreski. If there ever was a person on the face of this planet who is trying his damndest to bring the bow tie back, it is this former assistant to stylist Rachel Zoe. I can just imagine his immense collection of bow ties rotating in his walk-in closet. It's probably like walking into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

Uggie. Yes, even those of the canine variety can sport them.

Art is everywhere

This past weekend, I visited one of my favorite little shops in San Diego, Pigment.  This shop sells adorable home decor and accessories.  If you are ever in the neighborhood, check Pigment out.  It's a great place to find perfect gifts for those you care about. 

In particular I love this shop for all the wonderful, creative, terrariums it sells.  You can even buy DIY kits to make your own. Revisiting this shop inspired today's post regarding Terrarium as art. To be honest, I have this uncanny ability to kill any plant I have, including succulents and air plants - the two types of plants that are very hard to kill.  What can I say, it's a gift.  But that doesn't stop me from looking at terrariums and appreciating the work that goes into creating a beautiful tiny landscape.

Artist Kim Holleman uses found objects and trash to create terrarium sculptures. Her pieces express her views on our current environmental state and our possible future. There is a colorful beauty to her 'sculptures' but at the same time a point to be made. 

My favorite type of Terrarium art is where there is a miniature world happening. 

Some of the best "miniature" terrarium worlds I have seen is at Twig Terrariums.  They sell DIY kits, but also imaginative ready-made terrariums. 

Artist Paula Hayes creates these gorgeous biospheres highlighting the beauty of nature.  Her work has been displayed in galleries like MoMA.

Terrariums are like zen gardens - beautiful and relaxing. Try your hand at one and you'll be hooked. 

Doodles Come Alive!

I was a big doodler in my younger days and I admit even now, during one of my job's long office meetings, I zone out by doodling on my notepad. 

So when I found out the illustrator, Christoph Niemann, had done an IPad app (Petting Zoo) I had to have it for me my kids.  His doodles come alive with a few simple strokes. There are no instructions needed, kids instinctively know how to swipe up, down, and from side to side. Not only is this app affordable, it's so kooky, clever and entertaining that it's hard to put down.  

Kids can create music on the back of a porcupine, by the legs of an octopus, or the teeth of a crocodile. 

My favorite is the ladybug on the apple you can make him do a quick jog around the apple, ride his skateboard, jump on the apple, and if you swipe fast enough, he "flames on."

The clever transitions between each doodle is also a plus.  Even the credits are doodle animated.  

Treat your kids and yourself - Check it out here.