Mediterranean & French Furniture Styles

My latest school lesson has been on furniture and history of the Italian and French Renaissance periods.  It actually has been really interesting to see the different styles of furniture in lieu with what was happening in history at the same time.  Never thought I'd be getting such a great history lesson while studying interior decorating!  I thought I'd make a post to help all of you do-it-yourself decorators with how to tell the different styles apart and to help myself review the material better.  =]

To differentiate different styles of Mediterranean and French design, there are a lot of different details to look for.  Let's start with Mediterranean.

Mediterranean furniture is very heavy and ornate.  Usually the furniture has leather with studding and is full of straight lines or mechanical curved lines.

Mediterranean style really gave way to the French style of Louis XIV in the sense of being heavy and still having generally straight lines.  Louis XIV furniture tended to be massive in scale to fit Louis XIV's grand age of decorating and reign as the "Sun King."  Due to the bigger size, you'll see many pieces with stretchers, (the X-shape underneath a chair or table) that help to support the large furniture.  This style also tends to have furniture upholstered in rich fabrics with fringe detailing.  Some people refer to Louis XIV style as French Baroque, meaning very ornate and ornamented.

After Louis XIV's reign, along came Louis XV, (at the age of FIVE).  Over Louis XV's ruling, furniture became much smaller, more delicate, curved, and romantic.  Everything was about freeform curves and Rococo, (decor featuring rocks, shells, musical instruments, and general nature motifs) decorations.  You will not find any leg stretchers for chairs here, nor will you find furniture that looks heavy or utilitarian.

Next up we have the last of the Louis', Louis XVI.  While Louis XVI was ruling, Madame de Pompadour, (Doctor Who fans, you know who I'm talking about!  She smooched Tennant in his first season as the tenth doctor!) funded the exploration of the newly discovered ancient city, Pompeii.  Due to the exciting new Roman architecture that was found, French furniture reflected it in a fancier fashion.  Legs of tables and chairs were no longer found with the cabriole leg and were now straight with fluting to reflect columns.  Furniture still looked delicate, but now was back to straight lines and mechanical curves along with new motifs, such as the lyre and urns.

The last style I want to mention is the Empire style.  I am not going to go into depth about French Provincial, (think Belle's neighborhood in Beauty & the Beast) or the Directoire style simply because I'm running out of time before I have to go to work!  But the Empire style makes me laugh at it's gaudiness, so I have to show you some pictures of what was "in" back then.  Empire style, (pronounded "ahm-PEER") was full of heavy looking pieces with gaudy ormolu mounts on them.  Think Egyptian Sphinxes on chairs and naked mermaids casted onto tables.  Boat beds and recamiere chairs became popular along with mythological creature and seductive women motifs.

So that's it!  A nice short lesson on Mediterranean and French furniture!  I know, you didn't even know you wanted that until you saw it.  I've got you covered!  =D  Let me know which style is your favourite, or least favourite, and if you'd ever consider using any in decorating your own home!  I know I probably wouldn't unless it was a much more modern version of some of the pieces I showed you, like console tables or MAYBE a recamiere chair in my dream grand bathroom someday. 

Thanks for reading!  =D

Zion & Grand Canyon Adventure!

For me, hitting the one year anniversary mark with my boyfriend, Justin, is a big deal.  Not only have I never been with someone this long, (actually, he's my first and only boyfriend) but I feel like we've achieved something big here.  Something really good.  =]

So for our anniversary we decided to drive out to Zion National Park and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  =D  Road trip!!  

Monday was spent driving, eating yummy snacks, listening to some great mix cd's Justin made, and chilling in our beautiful hotel!  I saw Friends for the first time and we ate at this delicious Pizza & Noodle Co. and explored all the shops and galleries in town.  

View from a delicious ice cream & candy shop in Springdale!

Tuesday was the best day I think.  We spent the day hiking the Emerald Pools trails and the Narrows.  For those of you who don't know what the Narrows is, please goggle it right now.  You HAVE to hike it at some point if you even kinda like hiking or nature or fun!  It's beautiful!  You walk up the Virgin River, (which was really chilly) and get pretty deep in the water sometimes while enjoying this winding mountain view.  It's stunning and a lot of fun!  We even went off the path a bit to take this cool picture together--which took some serious work getting up with it being slippery and have no hand or foot holds!  That night we relaxed and enjoyed our hotel and a nice dinner at this little saloon, where they served us our drinks in big mason jars.  I felt right at home!  =P  

She was right next to the trail!

 At the lower emerald pools and waterfalls.

 Mid pools--and a beautiful view of Zion.

This is one of the resting opportunities we took in the Narrows.  Definitely bring snacks and plenty of water!

Here is the monster rock that took some skill, (on Justin's part) and Justin pulling me up as I mentioned.  Awesome photo opportunity!

Wednesday was our day to wake up and drive down two hours to the North Rim.  Justin had never been before, so he was quite taken by the beautiful scenery on the way down.  =]  We arrived by mid morning and did some hiking and taking in of the views for a couple hours.  Eventually, and sadly, we had to drive back home that night.  We stopped in a little town called Hurricane for dinner and a nice sunset walk before making it back to the big city.

The lookout points are incredible here, but be warned: they're windy!

Just contemplating life, the cosmos, and other simple things.  =]

The trip together was everything I could have hoped it would be and more.  I imagined us having so much fun together, and we really did.  I cannot wait until next years trip!  =D  Maybe we'll drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to the Redwoods!  Let me know if you have any suggestions!  

New York Institute of Art & Design

Hello everyone!

I am back after a bit of an hiatus--which I apologize for!  Work and school and boyfriends and new books tend to suck extra time for blogging out of a girl!

I have decided that since I'm currently in school and am planning to be finished some time early next year that I'd share with you all what school is like for an aspiring interior decorator. I know, I know, don't get too excited there.  =]  I don't have any fantastic photos for you of my work . . . yet!  I did have a big hand in the redesign of our kitchen though, which will be a whole post of it's own eventually.

I started out looking online for what kind of degrees and certifications are needed to become a professional interior decorator, which led me to a school called the Sheffield Institute for Interior Design, (now called the New York Institute of Art & Design).  It is based in New York and has a great distance learning program for people who cannot afford to move to New York City, (let's get real, NYC is EXPENSIVE!).  I decided to pay in full right away and go through the program to, if nothing else, gain better knowledge of colour and furniture placement.  Thankfully, I've already learned so much more than those two things, including correct measurement techniques, drafting, business techniques, period furniture identification, and client management.  And I'm only halfway through the course!

The way that it works is you are sent six units in total directly to your home with everything you'll need for your lessons.  This means, drafting supplies, lessons, audio cd's, dvd's, watercolours, literally everything you'll need.  You go through the lessons and complete all the material, package it up, send it to the school, and wait until you are sent back your work with a grade and an audio feedback file that arrives via e-mail.  For anyone who is working full-time and cannot afford to take the time to enroll in a four year university, or anyone who cannot afford the cost a four year university, it is a great option!  You school advisor is always there to call or e-mail with questions regarding lessons or anything else that may need clarification.  The best part is that the lessons are done on your time and you have up to three years to complete the program, (although the usual time frame is about one year).

As a part-time 21 year old student paying off prior student loans from a four year college, an affordable and flexible program was exactly what I needed!  I am SO happy I decided to take a leap and just start up school again in a totally new subject; I was originally a marine bio major! =P  It has given me a new sense of purpose and a lot of new information about the design world.  I couldn't be happier!  

If any of you have questions about the school or what lessons are like, etc, just leave them in the comments section and I'll get back to you!  If any of you happen to be interior decorators yourself, give me a shout out!  =D  I'd love to see work you've done or check out your design blog if you have one!  Thanks so much for sticking with me through my mini break!  I'll be back soon with some new and exciting adventure/new artwork posts!  <3 <3 <3

Here's a link to the schools blog: www.blog.nyiad.edu

Clinique Haul 2013

Hello everyone!

This past weekend, my mom decided to take me to the Clinique counter in the mall to show me how much she loves her new skin care products and talk me into buying some of my own.  That lead to a hefty amount of money being spent and a very happy Shelby.  =D

I do want to mention here that I am not being paid or endorsed to say all this about Clinique in any way, shape, or form.  I just decided to share their products with you I bought and ended up loving!

So when you start out at the counter, a representative will lead you to this fancy tablet they have set up with a questionnaire about your skin type and what your skin routine currently consists of.  It prints out this adorable little prescription slip listing any Clinique products that may be of help to you and the rep will then show you anything you're interested in.  I tested into the first of the four skin types they categorize as dry to very dry skin.  This was hardly surprising since I would have to scrub my face with a wash cloth to try and get rid of my dry patches, (which is not a good idea and I highly do NOT recommend).

The first products I looked into were their 3 step skincare packs.  The first step is an in-shower face wash that feels incredibly smooth, luxurious, and awesome on your face.  It's my new favourite part of my morning routine!  =]  It basically helps to soften that top layer of dead skin we all have for step two, exfoliating.  Now the exfoliator looks and feels just like a toner and you apply it to your face in the same way.  I wasn't sure how good of an exfoliator it could be since it contains no gritty beads or pearls, but over the past couple of days all my dry patches have vanished.  It is truly incredible and gentle on the skin for daily use since it is just for that top layer of dead skin.  The last step is to moisturize with the lotion.  This lotion is quite thin and does make my skin look a little shiner than I would like, but it's a price I'm willing to pay since it also helps my face look super soft and healthy.

The next couple of products I looked into were also for the face, with the exception of the chubby stick I bought in the colour Ample Amber.  I have never loved an eye shadow more than this and have used it every single day since I bought it.  Talk about a long lasting, easy to apply and blendable product!  (Since originally posting this, I've bought two more!)

So next up is Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector.  This is seriously my godsend.  With super pale skin and gross dark under eye circles, I've been in need of a good product to remedy them for ages!  I've tried liver cleanses and drinking more water and sleeping more and none of that has helped!  Even concealer tends to be too heavy on my skin since it's so fair and thin.  This product has already lightened up my under eye area and its light enough to use twice a day for faster results.  The claim is that in twelve weeks you will see a 30% decrease in darkness under your eyes--which is about two tubes.  In the week I've been using it, I already see a big difference and will definitely be buying more when I run out.  It helps that I love the stainless steel applicator so much too!

My last purchase at the Clinique counter was their cc cream.  I do have a drugstore bb cream I'd been using, but I didn't like the sheen it left on my face and the fact that I could feel the product on me all day.  The cc cream leaves a beautiful glow to my skin and covers up any pesky little blemishes I may have.  It has 30 spf, which is also great when I'm going to be out and about in town.  Mine is in the shade light, because as you may have seen, I'm pale.  =P

That is it for my Clinique products!  If you have sensitive skin or don't like skin care products with fragrance, it would be worth trying some of their products since they are 100% allergy and fragrance free.  =]

I did make a stop at Ulta prior to the mall and picked up two more products that I thought I'd just mention here.  The first is by Freeman Beauty and it is their Clay Face Mask in Avocado and Oatmeal.  I really loved how this mask felt on my face and how it smelled, but after I washed it off, my face felt tighter than normal and not moisturized at all.  After I followed that up with my Clinique products though, my face felt really soft and light.  I'm not sure if this is a great product for people with naturally dry skin, but maybe it's supposed to feel like that after, I'm not entirely sure.  Lastly I snagged two packets of the Macademia Deep Repair Masque for hair.  I've tried this product before and loved it, so I figured at $4.00 a pop, they were worth it.  I have thin hair so I can get about three uses out of each packet and it leaves my hair feeling luscious and shiny.  Love it for after I've been in the pool a lot or used a lot of heat based tools on my hair!

I hope you guys enjoyed reading about my new products above!  =D  If you have any questions or comments, let me know down below!  I will link you to my video that shows you all the products mentioned and has links for them all as well.  I will talk to you all soon!  <3


Links:

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/Shelby1879

Tumblr: www.madasahattter.tumblr.com

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/shelby1879

Instagram: www.instagram.com/shelby1879

San Diego Haul!

Hey guys!

I am back from San Diego and feeling refreshed!  Well, kind of.  I feel like I was spoiled for a couple days with the beautiful weather out there and now I cannot handle the 122 degree days!  Who decided this was a good city to live in!?  >.<

Anyways, whilst I was away in good 'ol California, I picked up some goodies for myself and I thought it would be a cool idea to show you all.  =]  I did pick up a couple of extra items that I'm not going to list here, but that is in case my boyfriend or best friend see this--I don't want to ruin their birthday gifts!  ;D

First up is actually the last thing I bought on my trip, but it's a cute opener.  It is hand-carved stone hippo made in Kenya.  I, of course, bought it at the Wild Animal Park, but what a cool conversation piece and decoration for my bookcase!

Next up is the first thing I bought: a beautiful red and navy blue anchor scarf.  I found this gem in a soap and beauty shop down in Seaport Village, and it just screamed Shelby!  Anything nautical is totally my thing!  I didn't have any scarves I could wear during spring/summer/fall that weren't heavy, so I thought this would be a good start to my collection.

This hat was one of the only items I actually was seeking out on my trip.  I have quite a round face and cannot wear hats very often, but this one was so cute and didn't make my basketball head look even more basketball head-ish!  Obviously, I had to nab it!  The old Hollywood feel it has to it made me feel pretty luxurious while out on the sea as well!

To follow through on this new found summery scarf love, I bought another light-weight scarf in an adorable bookshop, also in Seaport Village.  This is the most beautiful scarf I think I have ever seen and will be perfect as a table runner or as drapery over a mirror or just worn as a traditional scarf.  The old-fashioned carriages mixed with the darker colours give this a high end feel and will be great even through fall and winter.

Next up I bought myself a simple copper ring in this pretty leaf design.  An incredibly sweet man was selling his copper jewelry on a small stand right by the water in Seaport and I thought this ring would be great for everyday wear, regardless of my outfit.  I had no idea all the health benefits copper attributes to before talking with him and went back to the hotel to do some research of my own on the topic.  Turns out this was a healthy and cute purchase!

This faux leather jacket is the last "fashion" item I bought this weekend.  It was only $30 and was super cute!  I love that it isn't super heavy, which means I can wear it in the fall and winter here in this disgustingly hot desert.  =]  I added a navy diver pin to it that I picked up touring the U. S. S. Midway that completes my cool leather jacket look.  

Now onto some trinkets and things I picked up that don't have anything to do with fashion, but I thought were cute or cool items to bring home!  The first my dad actually got me on the U. S. S. Midway and it is so adorable!  It is a coffee mug with the famous kiss picture on it of the sailor coming home from WWII.  So excited to clean this up and use it before work!

This little guy is my absolute favourite thing I've bought in a long time!  His name is Bartholomew and I adopted him at the Wild Animal Park.  He is a gentle soul of a hippo and is so soft and squishy!  I'm not sure what's up with my little hippo kick, but who knew they are so cute!  

These are a little less soft and squishy and a little more weird and quirky.  My mom got these for me at the same bookshop I bought the carriage scarf at to "put them away for when I have my own kitchen with Justin" in her words.  =]  I've been learning to cook more, so these will definitely come in handy!

The last two things I picked up on my adventure were both books, not a surprise if you know me!  =]  I collect children's books and couldn't resist grabbing these two that I have never seen pass through my store.  Both look like fun ones, so I'll let you how they are or you can check my goodreads account out!  I'm at Shelby1879.  =]

That is it for my San Diego haul!  If you liked this post and would like to see more like it, then let me know!  I don't have loads and loads of money to throw around, so these definitely won't be a weekly or even monthly thing, but if you like them I will certainly keep that in mind!  Also, if you'd like to see any photos from my trip, you can check out my tumblr or if enough people request it, I'll do a blog post here!  =D

P.S. Happy July 4th everyone!  =D

Links

Youtube: youtube.com/user/Shelby1879

Tumblr: madasahattter.tumblr.com

Pinterest: pinterest.com/shelby1879

Instagram: instagram.com/shelby1879