Ciao 2011

I'm not sure if I will have a chance to write tomorrow...so I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you have an amazing time whatever you do!

I also wanted to thank you for reading and being a part of this blog of mine this year. I always love to see what you have written and hope to make my posts as interesting as possible.

Here are some of the most fun and memorable things that happened in 2011...(I'm sure I will miss a few)...

- Baby C in all of her glory. Watching her transform from a passive passenger to being in the drivers seat, walking, talking, eating and hugging her way through her days. Amazing!

- My family...ever expanding and supportive! I loved seeing nieces grow, cousins grow into friends and soon to be additions through marriage!

- Work...I love my day job. I love my work family and I loved spending another productive and fun year with them all!

- My art! I loved experimenting and every commission that came in this year was special! I can't wait to continue bringing joy into homes, offices...wherever!

- The blog!! This year I really came up with the schedule , and I feel like there is a groove. A great feeling..and watching my number of readers swell has been so wonderful! You readers are the BEST!

- My friends...my friends made this year memorable...from birthdays to first steps, weddings to sad separations...all in all we were always there for each other and I am so glad we were together.

- Mr. D...nothing would possible without him.

So thank you! Thank you all for making 2011 memorable and special each and everyday... !!

CHEERS! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Thursday Threads: 2011 Shoe-a-palooza

I know I have been MIA, but my guby was in town until this morning, the baby got us ALL sick at Casa Dubonics...and what can I say, I have not been online much. Today, the guby left and although we are all still coughing, things are better. I thought I would leave you this final Thursday of the year with two good friends of mine.
The Tory Burch Reva flat in "volcano red" and "peacock feather"... both $195 at Nordstroms, and selling FAST. My mom gave me a pair in tan, but I decided, and Mr. D agreed "too many brown shoes"...so I went and exchanged the ones from my momma for the red ones I've been coveting. Then I took my xmas cash and bought the blue ones too... I really still want the
blue glitter eddie flats . But alas...I went with the others...maybe when the birthday fairy comes a knockin' one month from today, this is what she will bring me.
So my fashionable and art loving friends, I hope you've had a great holiday season...and may the next 2 days of 2011 be FABULOUS!

Merry Merry Christmas from Coral Gables

Merry Christmas from our home in Coral Gables. May your holiday weekend be full of the love and laughter only family and friends can bring!

xoxo

Wardrobe Wednesday: Don't Hate Me...

The baby is really sick...and my guby is coming in town tonight...so I haven't had time. Sorry. I prrrrrromise next week!!!

xoxo.

Warm Merry Merry Gifts

For as long as I can remember, giving the perfect gift has been one of my favorite hobbies. Last year after having recently having babykins, I realized how capturing the right moment is one of the greatest gifts...that's when I started making the lockets.

This year I am experimenting with something that I think I will be offering from cSd Art& Design next holiday season, the photo ornament. This year my closest friends will be getting a 2011 cSd photo ornament.

I'd love your feedback. Do you like them? Would you want one on your tree?

Music Monday: Christmas Time is Here

As the song says, "It's that time of year, when the world falls in love, everyone song you hear seems to say, Merry Christmas may your new year's dreams come true..."
And it is! I love this song...and there are a few other slightly not too traditional songs that I love that only get played this time of year...
Here is my list of fun Christmas tunes...
1. The Chairman of the Board would like to serenade you this Christmas. Frank Sinatra's rendition of the "Christmas Waltz" is one of my favorite Christmas songs ever. His voice is amazing...one of my other favorite voices, Johnny Mathis.

2.

Amy Grant's "Grown Up Christmas List" is such a pretty song. I turn up the radio every time it comes on. It's a nice reminder that the holiday season is about the well being of others and spending it among the people who love you.

3.

Who doesn't like to belt out along with George Michael on this 80's classic of a Christmas Tune? Wham's "Last Christmas" is a staple at our holiday gatherings. It's hands down one of my favorites!

4.

Last but most certainly not least is Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" . I like to refer to this as to when "Mimi had a voice"...doesn't her voice sound a little wispy and airy these days compared to her Tony Matola days? Anyhow--- I love this song! It's fun and lively...just a great hit!

So there you have it. Some of my favorite (and poppier) Christmas songs. I hope you are in a good Christmas mood and enjoy this (as Frank would say) "most wonderful time of the year". Any favorites on your list?

Feliz Navidad xoxo Los Slesnick

From our little family...to yours!

Pretty in Pink

Come on over to the Florida Room for a view of my baby's beautiful slide show of pictures! She's the cutest in these yummers pics!

Have a great weekend!!

xoxo

Thursday Threads: Guest Blogger Sheffield from Back-In-Style

Today we are fortunate to have one of my good friends, the extremely stylish Sheffield M. from BackInStyle, guest blogging for us. BackInStyle is a wonderful vintage boutique who has outfitted the likes of Julia Roberts on the red carpet.

Sheff is going to focus on one of the easiest things to give...a vintage handbag. With so many affordable options, you can get one for all the ladies in your life. Here are a few suggestions from Sheffield on how to choose a unique and special gift with out busting your budget! (Here is a picture of the two of us at a recent event at Henri Bendel in Miami).

A vintage clutch is a cute gift for a co-worker or friend who you go out with after work. Just attach a little tag that says "To friends, to fun, and to happy hour. Happy Holidays!"
Do you have plans with friends for New Year's Eve? Get her an evening bag for Christmas with a note that says, "Looking forward to celebrating with you!"
Totes make a great gift for lots of people.A friend who just had a baby and is looking for a stylish way to schlep around all that baby stuff. "To keep you looking stylish, (even when you have baby drool on your shoulder)."
A niece who is in school. “A stylish school bag probably won't help your grades, but at least it will make the other girls jealous.”
Someone who's New Year's Resolution is to go to the gym. "Here's to feeling good, and looking good!"
For your co-worker who always bring you your latte in the morning, a cross body bag. "It's easier to carry two coffees when your hands are free. Thanks for making my mornings a little easier!"
For your chic and sophisticated friends, there is the classic 1960s black Jackie O purse. "To Camelot! When I think of style and sophistication, I think of Jackie Kennedy, and you. Merry Christmas!"

No matter who it is, there is definitely an appropriate vintage handbag that would be a thoughtful and affordable gift for anyone of your friends, family, or colleagues.
Now where do you get a vintage handbag? If you are shopping for someone who lives out of town, shopping online is efficient, both in terms of ease of shopping, and ease of shipping. Vintage e-stores, like BackInStyle.com, and PoshVintage.com, as well as vintage marketplaces like ebay and etsy, all have a plethora of affordable and unique options. You can search for exactly what you want, a snake skin clutch, a retro tote, a vintage cross body bag, which can save you a lot of time going from shop to shop. Another bonus of shopping on line is that you don't have to worry about wrapping and shipping. Just have the vintage handbag sent straight to them. If its for someone local, try shopping your local thrift stores, and vintage stores. Be sure to choose stores in wealthy neighborhoods for the best merchandise selection. Oh, and one last vintage gift giving tip, take a little extra care when you wrap a vintage gift by adding a hand made gift tag, or using recycled wrapping paper, so it comes across as a personal and environmentally friendly gift, rather than a used bag.

Be on the look out next Wednesday when our Wednesday Wardrobe will again feature fashionable fashions from Back-In-Style. Until then please visit the BackInStyle.com website which now also has a showroom in Miami, Florida!

Book Soundtrack

I'm back! I hope you are all well and getting through yet another week...the year is coming to an end and the Holidays are knocking at on our doors!

Well... Chicago was great! I love that city-- gorgeous architecture, amazing museums, friendly hearty people (you know with substance) and the weather was fantastic! Cold, sunny and one day with snow! The stuff that tropical dreams are made of!

Anyhow--- I bought a book to read on the plane (have I mentioned I am the world's slowest reader?). I started it on Wednesday on the plane to Chicago, by the time we landed I was nearly half way through--- read here and there while in Chicago and then the entire flight home to finally finish it up yesterday!

Folks---if you have not read The Hunger Games, I highly recommend it. It's book 1 of a trilogy. A friend of mine told me after we saw Breaking Dawn Part 1, that she liked the Hunger Games trilogy more than the Twilight Saga. I can understand why---and so can Hollywood as the Hunger Games movie is coming out in March 2012. Here is the trailer. It looks so good, I can't wait for the movie! The story is set in the future and is about a girl who is called up to participate in an annual fight to the death put on by her nations capitol. Her district in the country is known to be the poorest and has only had one winner in the Hunger Games in their 74 years. The story is engaging and fast paced---definitely glad I had book 2, Catching Fire, ready to go when I was done with The Hunger Games.

There is a bit of a love triangle and I've already found myself rooting for one of the characters over the other...and have fallen in love with him, just like I did Edward. Seriously Team Peeta all the way! Look at him!

I've also decided that these two (Peeta and Katniss) should have a theme song--- a soundtrack, and this morning while driving into work I heard Rhianna's "We Found Love in a Hopeless Place" and immediately thought of their story. I've linked up the video there.

So have you ever read a book and applied your own soundtrack to it?

Table Settings

We just moved a bunch of furniture around in our house to make our dinning room less crowded. The end result is great--- but we also had to move around some of our art. There is now one wall that is still not 100% to my liking...so on Sunday night as we were sitting there having dinner for the first time in the space, I thought to myself... why not paint something fun and practical for the space?
This is what I am thinking. A table setting. It's fun, it's useful and I grew up helping set the table---so I know that our daughter will too---which means that the painting would be an educational tool as well.
What do you think?

Music Monday: Better Late Than Never

First of all--- I hope you had a great weekend!
Second of all, I will warn you...I am going to be traveling to Chicago this week for work, and will not be able to post my usual Wardrobe Wednesday or Thursday threads. I know you are sad, don't cry, it's OK! I'll post them next week!

Ok--- so onto the music!!
Sometimes I'm a little late to the game with music. I listen to a lot of music, but sometimes I'm not 100% up and up on what "the kids are listening to" ...part of the reason is because a lot of "what the kids are listening to" is crap... However when I hear something I like, I will shazam it, or I will ask a friend about it. This week I have 3 songs for you to take in...

1.

The first song comes courtesy of my GBF, Derek who lives in Boston. Last night he sent me a satirical video to the tune of Carlos Baute's song, "En Tus Manos". I realized I liked the original song and had never downloaded it. The song was the summer hit in 2010! (See what I mean, late to the game) It's a catchy Spanish language song he sang with Spaniard Marta Sanchez. I have linked up the video for you to enjoy.

2.

The second song I heard (not for the first time) the other night when I got sucked into a show on TV which will remain nameless...however Adam Levine and the boys from Maroon 5 performed their song, "Moves Like Jagger" and ever since then, I cannot get the song out of my head. I was singing it through most of the Art Basel events and fairs all of last week. It's such a fun song! Again, I have linked the official video for you to enjoy.


3.

The last song comes from my friend Ana who in recent years has been the person who can answer my "who is this?" questions for pop music. She sent me a link for M83's "Midnight City" after reading last week's Music Monday post. After I heard it I realized I had heard the song a lot and have been meaning to download it. Naturally the video is linked up so you can hear the song yourself.

Any good music you've been listening to that I should download before my trip to Chicago this week?

Art Week in Review 2011

Go, go, go...that's what it was like. I know that I did not go to all the fairs, and I certainly did not get to all the parties...but for a mom of a 13 month old, I think I did well. Here is Thursday night- Friday in a nutshell. My celebrity sighting, my posse, my artist friends, my museum peeps and of course all of the art that I would have loved to have taken home with me if money and space were no object.
Thursday night I went to the Miami Art Museum's 10th Annual Party on the Plaza, a.k.a. MAM POP. As you know MAM is my daytime next door neighbor, so I make it a point to get over there and see their exhibits every time there is something new to see. Currently at MAM they have a beautiful collection of Faith Ringold's paintings on display. I had not gotten a chance to get over to see it until POP...and when I got to the back gallery I was stunned then there she was, in all her calm and matriarchal glory---Faith Ringold. I told my friend Chris I was just going to stand near her---take my picture...well turns out we had a short chat and got a real picture taken. I was a happy happy girl. Isn't she lovely?
My dates for the night were my gubby, Chris and one of my BFF's Heather. Aren't they stunning? Well, here we are posing in the over-sized MAM POP frame that was set up in the museum lobby. Shortly after this was taken, a sketchy Brazilian man asked me to be in his picture with all these cougars...I gladly accepted and subsequently photo bombed the shot. Tee hee.
Here Chris and I are smiling waiting for Rashaad Newsome's performance piece to begin---joining us are some of my artist/ school district peeps...everyone looking smashing.
This is my friend, educator and talented artist, Asser Saint-Val. He was one of my first Artist-in-Residence at the Miami Children's Museum when I was running that program. He was also an educator there---today he is an educator at MAM, and still painting. I am fortunate to have one of his paintings hanging on my wall. So that was the crew on Thursday night... now moving onto the Friday crew...
The fearless foursome! From 10:00am - 5:30pm these 3 proved to be fun partners in crime. Again, my dear friend Chris (again---he was def my art whore), and 2 friends from work, Thuvia and Sarah. Aren't our ensembles complimentary of each other?
We ran into an old museum peep, Ricardo who is the only way we got the stellar picture of the 4 of us from Friday. Thanks for being a willing and well suited photographer!
Here is a shot of the 3 HistoryMiami Education girls in the ab fab Legal Art, neon pink stairwell. It was amazing!
So that was the crew on Friday... now that all the players are in place...let's begin with the art.
On Friday we started our day at the Legal Art Collector's Brunch. The best part was the artist studios, especially the TM Sisters . Their studio/living space was a sensory overloaded magical oasis of music, mirrors, lights, video and energy! It was great!
After Legal Art, we headed over to the Arsht Center for a food truck lunch (YUM). I had never been...it was great. It wasn't all about the food though...one of the Miami Pop Up Pianos was there too! Isn't it pretty? I tried to convince Chris to play (the most talented organist/pianist ever) ...he was too hungry.

After lunch we headed over to midtown to do some serious damage. Midtown was home to 3 tented fairs, Art Miami, Scope and Red Dot. The 4 of us started at Art Miami.
This is "Beauty is Never Useless" by Chiara Moreschi. Part of the Persol gallery---this piece was sparkly and shinny and glimmering. A fun piece for any wall.
I love books. So what can be better than a series of classic book covers on your walls? Sorry--- I did not get the artist information on this one.
For a short amount of time, I was a part time New Yorker. I love NYC, it's am amazing city--- this is "Brooklyn Bridge: Brooklyn" by Stephanie Lempert. If you look closely, the shadows are all made of words significant to the artist and the city.

When you look in the mirror you want to see only fabulousness no? Well, what better way to see that than to see fabulous! This is "Fabulous" by Norbert Bruner. I love the black ornate mirror up against the sleek minimal mirror. A fun oxymoron.
"Texture of a Ghost" by Andrew Erdos... it was a mirrored room with glass blown sculptured coming off the wall, eerie lighting and two flat screens mounted on the ceiling of the room playing images of the Arizona red rock landscape. It was bizarre and enthralling.
How can you not love Tin Tim and have him in your home? "Tin Tin en la Pena Bernal" by Cantabella. Super fun! I love it when art has a sense of humor.
This was one of my favorites of the day... Andy Burgess painted this beautiful piece...and it had a red dot. Lucky. I love the palette, the brush strokes and the way they compliment the clean modern lines of the home. The light also almost glows off the canvas, its gorgeous!
So some art is expensive, some is "affordable" and some is completely accessible. This funny piece was "affordable" at, $3,000. "Sir Henry Pug" by David Imlay... I have a soft spot for pugs, having grown up with a few. I've painted my Ricky...he currently hangs in babykins' room.
This was one of the neatest pieces I saw and would love to have this. "Untitled" by American Graham Caldwell. Hanging right next to this, was...
This pretty Calder. I love Calder, he is one of my favorites...his palette, his motion---all of it.
The Cristo gates may have been temporary, but the drawings the duo prepared will live on. I was a PT NY-er when the gates were installed for 30 days, I would love this drawing.
After all that art...we took a break in the VIP lounge. Nice eh? ... OK back to the art...

These two pieces were among my favorites. First of all because they remind me of something you would find on the blog, Unhappy Hipsters. Secondly in the first one...they are watching my favorite movie, "The Sound of Music". Julie Blackmon's "Night Movie".
Isn't this genius? We all thought so---artist and resident of the Berkshires, Molly Hatch was there and was such a pleasure to talk to. I would have bought the entire collection, this one is "Mon Plaisir: Count Fersen, Mlle. Lamballe et Mlle. Polignac" was one of my favorites. You should definitely look up Molly's beautiful gouache paintings and ceramic pieces.
Jessica Joslin is responsible for this trio of misfits, "Caliope". Aren't they amazing? Have I mentioned I love taxidermy and all dead zoo like pieces? I find it beautiful and comical all at the same time.

Two years ago when I first went to Art Miami, I fell in love with the work of this artist...and on Friday it happened again. I love it! Her comical sense of humor, the femininity found in the paintings, the colors...all of it! Kelly Reemsten. Look her up and fall in love with your own dress. I would happily hang these all down a hall.
Isn't this hysterical? It was the last shot I took when leaving Art Miami, so I apologize I didn't get the artist information.
Outside Art Miami we were greeted by this shirted tree. Fun eh? ...and yes, it was a beautiful day. After this, we hopped over to Scope.
This piece was totally made of buttons! Can you believe that? I wish I had taken a close up of Ran Hwang's piece. Fortunately I did take one of the other Hwang that hung next to this one...

All that thread made this...amazing isn't it?
Did I mention I like art with a sense of humor? "Jackalope" at $1,300 by Bryan Cunningham was definatly one I would like to have picked up!
I also gladly would have taken this one home, $2,900 for "Monkey Pioneers of Outer Space" by Chris Roberts Antieau. This was a textile piece. So pretty...and funny. Love it! Want it.
Remember the category of accessible art? THIS is it... Evan B. Harris...one of his small pieces was $175! His work is whimsical and inventive, and I fell in love with it.
I also fell in love with this one...and I am SO angry I didn't get the artist details for it. It reminded me of a Fraganard.
Artist D*Face created this funny and satirical view of Hollywood.
Why not?
Too funny.
So tired. Here we are at the end of Scope. From here we walked over to the edge of the Design District where we found this dome...cool eh?

AND we finally made it to the Veuve Clicquot airstream for "champ" which is what Chris was most looking forward to all day. He lead the way to the lounge and graciously drank his "champ" .
It was another fun installment of Art Basel in Miami for me. I hope you enjoyed what I virtually brought to you to see!