December 25th, 2006 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
Just Who is…Stella McCartney
A child prodigy, shoes hard working young mother, one of the best fashion designers of her generation, a crusader for justice for humans and animals alike, Stella is, like her name suggests, a real Star. Stella has been both blessed and cursed by being the first born of her illustrious parents, Sir Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman McCartney. Even before she was born, she made musical history. Linda had a difficult labor, and baby Stella came into this world through cesarean section. Her father reportedly prayed that she would be born “on the wings of an angel”, thus the choice of Wings as the name of Paul and Linda’s new band. Fast forward a few years, and it wouldn’t be hard to think Stella had an easy childhood, but that isn’t quite true. She was bullied at school because of her famous parents, and her folks were determined she would develop important values, like independence and creativity. However, they were also very supportive, teaching Stella to have confidence in herself. Stella washed dishes to earn money to afford to buy clothes. She couldn’t even afford fashion magazines, but this might be why and how she’s so innovative. Stella considers her late mother Linda a fashion icon. Linda did care about fashion, but she was also independent about it. If the prevailing style didn’t suit, then Linda would wear what she liked, because it suited her and felt good. So this ‘never be a slave to fashion’ attitude has given Stella a foundation which her brand is so renowned.
“I’ve been struggling furiously all my life to be independent. — Stella McCartney
Stella began her career at the tender age of 15, working with Christian Lacroix on his first collection and then learning tailoring on London’s famous Saville Row. She then attended St. Martens College of Art and Design, her final year collection creating a stir, but not for all the right reasons. She enlisted her friends, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Yasmin Le Bon to be her models. Her parents high profile insured the world’s media were to descend on this little student show, leaving some of the other students reportedly declaring that she turned it into a circus. Her entire final year collection was bought by Browns, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, so all the hard work was starting to pay off.
“I know what makes chicks tick” — Stella McCartney
After only two collections, Stella took over the job of creative director for Chloe, from a very disgruntled Karl Lagerfeld. This turned out to be an astute move by Chloe; their profile and profit rising after Stella’s first collection in October, 1997. After her mother’s tragic death from breast cancer in 1998, to honor her mother Stella stepped up her campaign against animal cruelty, actively joining PeTA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) campaign. She re-newed her contract with Chloe in 2000, but there were reports that Gucci had approached Stella and were turned down due to Gucci requiring Stella work with leather. Coming to their senses, Gucci offered Stell a 50/50 agreement for her to launch her own label, without the strings. She took them up on it, and her first store was launched in New York in 2002, to be followed by a second in Mayfair, London, and then, on her birthday in September 2003, a store in Los Angelos and a her first perfume.
“This collection is for women who take their sport and their style seriously. Why should we have to comprise one for the other.” — Stella about her latest adidas collection
In September 2004, Stella began a joint-venture with adidas, and thus the birth of the classic Stella McCartney Tennis Dress. Entering it’s fifth season with the Spring/Summer 07 collection, delicate but tailored looks continue to flourish famous the line. Rising WTA Star Maria Kirilenko plays exclusively in adidas by Stella McCartney. For all garments close to the skin, adidas’ ClimeLite(r) fabric technology insures a comfortable game. No creatures have been harmed in anyway by the production of the adidas by Stella McCartney brand, and this includes people. Stella wouldn’t have it any other way, another good reason to admire this remarkable young woman.
Cheri Britton is the editor of http://www.womens-tennis-apparel.com/, reviewing and showcasing the latest styles in tennis dresses, tennis skirts, women’s tennis shoes and bags. Her site also has links to her blog, where she discusses what the WTA Stars are wearing, and how they’re faring in the tournaments.
December 12th, 2006 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
The art of candle making is hundreds of years old, and it is a true art form. There are so many ways to make beautiful candle creations and if spa do get cosmetics absorbed in it as a hobby you will always be able to come up with something new.
Nearly everybody has a candle or two in their homes, and those that enjoy candles, actually often have a dozen or so.
Why would you want to make your own? Well, if you really like candles you can make them at a fraction of the price of those that you buy. You are free to choose your colors and shapes, and you can perfume them or not, and, with your choice of perfume.
Candle making is one hobby though that you don’t want to ‘just experiment’ with. Obviously you are working with very hot wax, and if not handled correctly, the candle wax can ‘explode’ and catch fire. It is what is called a ‘flashpoint’. It could be disastrous so don’t cut any corners when dealing with wax. It really does pay to read all the safety tips and know all about the wax that you are using.
It really is a very economical hobby, so don’t go looking for cost cutting by using old wax. that has been lying around the house. You never know what is in it. Use good clean wax that you have bought and handled correctly, then the chance of any problem is much, much less.
So, to help you here are some safety tips:
1. Never leave unattended wax on a stove top.
2. Know your ‘flashpoint’ of any wax that you use.
3. Always use a thermometer in your wax
4. Always use a double boiler for melting your wax as this slowly melts the wax at a safe speed. Never put the wax in a pot and straight on the heat.
5. Never have wax near an open flame, wax is flammable.
6. Always have cotton gloves handy to handle molds.
7. Keep a chemical fire extinguisher handy in case of fire.
8. Keep a pile of newspapers handy in case of spillage on the floor or bench top.
9. Wear loose clothing in case of spillage and if you get wax on your skin run it under cold water immediately.
10. Never pour molten wax down the sink - it will block it.
Candle making is such fun and you can use all sorts of containers to make candles. For pillar candles you can use milk cartons, or other waxed containers like juice cartons. If you have any old glass containers, either drink glasses or vases, that you no longer use, you can also use these, but make sure that you warm them before pouring in the hot wax.
Like any hobby, candle making takes a little to learn before you start, but there are some very easy techniques to learn in the early stages to make stunning candles.
Start with easy projects and progress through to the more difficult ones later.
if you are going to make candles to sell, do make sure that you use quality products because cheaper products will lead to inferior finished products.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kaye Dennan
Kaye Dennan is the author of Candle Making - Start With Confidence. With over 15 years experience in the arts field Kaye enjoys helping new hobbyists. Go to http://ebooksnowonline.com/hobbies/candle-making-start-with-confidence/ for more information.
December 9th, 2006 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
Finding fragrances that go with anniversaries six through eleven is quite tricky. There are not a lot of perfumes out there that smell like iron or tin! Occasionally you have the word mentioned in the name, but seldom. So, we’ll just use our imagination and go with perfumes that come in boxes that are more or less the colour of the theme.
Anniversary number 6 is a tough one, with Iron as its theme. You have Iron for Men marriage Coty and that’s about it. So we’ll go by its characteristics; it’s a mineral that is mined from the earth and is also found in minerals such as taconite and magnetite, which you see as black sand on a beach. So, in my search for perfumes for this anniversary’s theme, I will go by the terms earthy and black. Get it?
For men, you have Polo Black by Ralph Lauren, Black Code by Giorgio Armani, Black by Ferrari, Black Jeans for Men by Giorgio Beverly Hills, Bulgari Black for Men by Bulgari, Eternity for Men by Calvin Klein and Givenchy for Men.
For women, there’s Black by Kenneth Cole, Armani Mania by Giorgio Armani, Bijan Black by Bijan, Bulgari Black for Women by Bulgari, Vanderbilt for Women by Gloria Vanderbilt and Nokomis by Coty.
The 7th anniversary, Wool or Copper is also a bit tricky. Perfumes that bring to mind soft and warm fabrics, such as wool, are Armani Mania for Men by Giorgio Armani, Aramis for Men, Azzaro for Men by Loris Azzaro, Background for Men by Jil Sander and Bora Bora for Men by Liz Claiborne.
For women, get Warm Cinnamon Buns Scented, which can be used for both men and women, Jovan White Musk, Safari for Women by Ralph Lauren, Miracle body cream by Lancome, Attraction by Lancome, Azzura for Women by Loris Azzaro, Bellodgia by Caron and Be Delicious by DKNY. Again, I’m only naming a few.
If you decide to go with copper, I will base the selection on its colour, a glowing reddish brown. The colour also resembles burnt sienna and mahogany, so these terms will also be included in the search. For example, some perfumes contain extract of mahogany wood.
For the ladies, get Omnia by Bulgari, On Ice Brown by Carolina Herrera, Euphoria by Calvin Klein, Brit for Women by Burberry and Curve for Women by Liz Claiborne.
And for the gentlemen, try Cubano Copper, Cuba for Men or Cuba Brown by Cuba Paris, Hugo Energize for Men by Hugo Boss, Quorum by Antonio Puig and Curve for Men by Liz Claiborne. Bronze is the theme for the 8th anniversary. It’s usually related to a dark orange-brown colour, so this is what we’ll go with again.
Ladies first: Gff Bronze Gianfranco Ferre, Clarins for Women, Guinot for Women, Lancaster for Women and Caesars Woman by Ceasars World.
For your man, you have Cubano Bronze by Cuba Paris, Be Delicious by DKNY and Cuba Orange by Cuba Paris.
Sorry, that’s all I’ve got!
The 9th anniversary is Pottery and there are honestly not a lot of options for this theme, At least not when it comes to the term itself. I figured we would go with perfumes that come in beautifully crafted bottles. You can always buy a perfume bottles made by glass artists and have it filled with your partner’s favourite perfume.
Some interesting designs in bottles for women are Shi by Alfred Sung, Prada, Kingdom by Alexander Mcqueen Parfums. L’eau D’issey by Issey Miyake, Alien by Thierry Mugler, Angel by Thierry Mugler, Bijan Wicked by Bijan, Boucheron for Women and Euphoria by Calvin Klein.
For men, you have the options Bellagio by Micaelangelo, Ballagio by Parlux Fragrances, Bijan Wicked for Men by Bijan, Guess Man by Parlux Fragrances, Nautica for Men, PI by Givenchy and Pierre Cardin for Men.
For the 10th anniversary, Tin or Aluminum, we will go with perfume bottles that come in silvery-grey shades.
Let’s start with the ladies. You can go with Euphoria by Calvin Klein or 212 by Carolina Herrera.
For men you have Contradiction by Calvin Klein, John Varvatos Vintage for Men and Rykiel Homme Grey by Sonia Rykiel.
And the last anniversary on this list is the 11th, Steel. You actually get a few fragrances with the word steel in it and the rest will be based on its darker silver colour.
For men, you have Steel Mod and Steel Mod Sport by Monica Klink, Romance Silver by Ralph Lauren, Silver Black by Loris Azzaro, Escada Silver Light by Escada and Eternity for Men by Calvin Klein.
And finally, for women there is Steel Mod for Women by Monica Klink, Paco for Women by Paco Rabanne and Guerlain for Women.
Some people have and like their signature perfume and don’t want to change it. If your partner is one of those, you can find absolutely beautiful crafted perfume bottles to fill up with the favourite fragrance. Some come in more modern shapes, but you can also get antique ones that are actually worth quite a lot. This way, you still give the person you love a perfect gift, without having to see the expression on their face when they smell the perfume you erroneously thought they would like!
Michael Russell Your marriage guide to Anniversary Gifts