I LONG FOR SALT AIR IN MY HAIR

Oh yes I do, yes I do.
How 'bout you?

Art & Words by Katie Daisy.  

For more of her charming work visit The Wheatfield on Etsy.

Discovered on Lovely As A Dream

MAGIC WAND, anyone?

March, advises Frederic Fekkai in his book A Year of Style,  is the time to "clarify your look and re-create yourself."  Clarify and re-create, indeed.  While I'd love to have the sunny glow and carefree swagger of this model from his book, right now I'm feeling more like the old crone from the Wizard of Oz, with sallow winter skin verging on green, hair frazzled from indoor heat and feet not fit for public appearance.  Yes, I need a makeover from head to toe to get me into Spring shape.  Alas, there's no fairy godmother waving her magic wand over me, so I'm going to have to do it myself.  An at-home facial is definitely in order, so I'll slather on Guinot's Masque Essentiel Nutri-Confort, my long-time quick fix for some "instant radiance" (and no, Guinot's not paying me to promote this).  Next I may try some of Mr. Fekkai's other advice, and replace my morning coffee with hot lemon water for a week.  Not exactly sure what that does, but saturating myself in Vitamin C certainly couldn't hurt.  Other than that, I'm in need of suggestions. 

Dear readers, please tell me:  How do you shake off winter and revive yourself for Spring?

SIGNS OF SPRING

Buds and birds have come to my city tree this week, a tantalizing sign of Spring.

Birds and Fruit by Michael Gallagher 

DASHING OFF & DANCING ON

Just one more post before we all dash off to dance or dream our way into 2011.

Hoping it holds wonderful surprises and magical moments for all of us.

Happy New Year's Eve.

Image by Kareem Illiya from my new book obsession, 

100 Years of Fashion Illustration by Cally Blackman.

GIVE A GIFT TO THE ARTS ... and enjoy a dazzling delight

What could be more delightful than a gift that combines togetherness, awe, entertainment, laughter and amazement?  And can be arranged with just a few clicks on your keyboard?  That's why tickets to a show, play or performance ranks as one of my favorite gifts to give, receive--and enjoy myself!  It always fits, can never be duplicated and lasts in your memory forever.  Plus it supports an entire world of dancers, actors, craftsmen, choreographers and local venues.  (Exactly the spirit of our mall-free, hassle-free, pour a glass of bubbly and enjoy the season gift guide.)

With a bit of advance planning--or last minute luck--you could arrange to see a classic such as The Nutcracker during the holiday season (as of this morning the Pennsylvania Ballet still has some tickets available).  But you could also choose from the entire year of performances, giving you something dazzling to look forward to in 2011.

Whether it's enjoying a dazzling performance yourself, volunteering your time, donating money or giving tickets as a gift--what arts organizations do you love to see and support? Please share your favorite, with a brief description & link, in the Comments section here and on the Style Maniac Facebook Page.

Pennsylvania Ballet Company Member Meredith Reffner in George Balanchine's Nutcracker photographed by Alexander Iziliaev.  With thanks to my friend Janis Goodman, an avid patron of  the Pennsylvania Ballet's performances, operations and fundraising efforts.  For more on how to support the Ballet visit www.paballet.org

GIVE A GIFT OF ART ... with a 20% discount for Style Maniac readers

Last month I had the most civilized shopping experience at an art gallery around the corner from my home.  While sipping wine and noshing on Swedish meatballs, I chatted with the four artists hosting the show and then discovered some lovely small paintings (at very lovely prices) just perfect for some lovely people on my gift list.

An original piece that no one else owns ... the pleasure of an afternoon socializing surrounded by pretty things ... supporting a local business instead of a chain store ... and of course, supporting the artists themselves--all without spending a mint:  those are exactly the elements I had in mind when creating Style Maniac's  mall-free, hassle-free, pour a glass of bubbly and enjoy the season Gift Guide.

So, how does this help you with your gift giving? First, I encourage you to seek out galleries, shows, exhibits in your own town.  Look for smaller pieces, emerging artists and student works for budget-friendly options.  No worrying about whether the gift will get to you in time--you can take it right off the wall!

Second, enjoy your own virtual gallery party from the comfort of your couch. I've arranged with Denise Fike, a wonderful artist and friend, to offer a special holiday discount just for Style Maniac readers.  Browse through the Denise Fike Etsy Shop and then take 20% off any item until the end of this month.  She offers fashion plates, paintings textured with vintage wallpapers and new collage cards.  The 5" by 7" cards, based on Denise's paintings with vintage velvet papers hand-applied, are made to order, shipped the next day and an absolute steal at 10 bucks.  Frame them and you have a work of art for less than lunch at the mall!

GIVE THE GIFT OF ART:

Enjoy 20% off any item in Denise Fike's Etsy Shop from now through December 31, 2010. 

Use code "stylemaniac."

Eve fashion collage and painting courtesy Denise Fike.

HOLIDAY COLOR RECIPE: Peacock Blue & Burnished Gold

Inspired by a lush sofa, soft antique brass and the sequin dresses in this month's masthead, here's a recipe for a fresh twist on a holiday color scheme:  

Take one part deep velvety blue ornaments and accents.  Warm up with three parts burnished gold gift wrap, china and tree. Add plumes of peacocks.  Festoon with sparkly ornaments and trim in amethyst and emerald, if you like. Meanwhile, mix a Bombay Gin martini as Elvis croons "Blue Christmas" on the stereo.  Stir it all up.  Savor a relaxed and lovely night of holiday decorating.

Photos, from top:  {1} "London Revival" townhouse designed by Steven Volpe, as seen in Elle Decor. {2} Blue Ornament on Gold Tree by Etolane via Flickr.  {3} Gold gift wrapped by Carolyne Roehm as seen in Veranda Magazine.  {4} Peacock Tree via Christmas Central. {5} Marc Blackwell New York Florentine Gold China photographed by Doreen Creede.  {6} Peacock Ornament via the blog Sullivan & Murphy.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS {part 1}

The first of my Christmas wishes:  Lipstick that doesn't come off on my teeth.  After all, if we can send a man to the moon, we should be able to formulate such a cosmetic for those of us less fastidious than the glamorous girl above, who probably never once had such a problem.


Vogue image via Found In Mom's Basement

DESIGN REFUGE

Style Maniac has joined Design Refuge, an international directory and meeting place for decorating and lifestyle bloggers.  Check out www.design-refuge.com  for a dazzling array of design delights.  WARNING:  Highly addictive.

Also, a warm welcome to the many new readers who have stopped by lately.  Thank you for visiting and joining our conversations on books, fashion, decorating, entertaining, music, life, laughter ... and living with style every day. To make sure you don't miss a word, I invite you to Follow Style Maniac via Google Friend Connect (Blogger follow) or subscribe via email or RSS. (Links to all in the sidebar.)

Here's what one regular reader had to say about last month's post "BEFORE & AFTER: Vintage Furniture Rescued & Revived."  

 "Oh me oh my...my 2 favorites...before and afters and reusing!! Awesome post!" ~ Danielle@FreshQuince 

Danielle writes often about vintage furniture and fashion finds on her own blog.  Check it out at Fresh Quince