Happy Hands at Home

That's what we call it here, Happy Hands at Home. It's DIY, it's the Crafting Revolution of the New Millennium. Most of us creative types have some sort of crafting hobby like sewing, knitting, embroidery, gluing stuff to other stuff. Well I tell ya, it' s taking over the nation! A lot of it has to do with the economic downturn. There was the realization of "Hey, why the hell am I paying someone to make my toilet paper cozies when I can crochet one myself?" and then there is the 'what do we do with our free time' thing. Instead of splurging on fancy dinners, we stay home and create with affordable materials. In addition, we think we can make money off of this stuff. The Etsy website has thousands of vendors selling their homemade wares and there are always stories of sellers who quit their day jobs because they can't keep up with the orders rushing through. Crafting can also be very PC; why throw away my old Van Halen t-shirt when I can get it sewn into a laptop sleeve? Sadly, every clever thing you have ever thought of has been made already. Seed bead sushi hair clips, giant cupcakes made out of cloth diapers. If your design project requires objects that are made by craftspeople and not crafters, one of my favorite items that we carry at Accessory Preview is our bone and horn boxes, and the boxes pictured above that are handcrafted in India using scraps of fashion jewelry and gorgeous stones. Each one is meticulously pieced together to form an object of beauty. They are art-deco style treasures and are perfect for keeping baubles out of sight. Now that you have the facts, choose wisely.

Good Design for a Good Cause

Currently I have a bucket collecting water from a leak in the ceiling in my fixer-upper house. The money that was earmarked for our Marvin or Jeld-Wen thin muntin casement windows that will replace the ghastly aluminum jobs we have now is going to go to a new roof. My new kitchen reno will probably start in 2016. It's frustrating yes but when you go to the Upward Bound House website, they put things in perspective."Hate your dripping faucet, creaky floor, or ugly fridge?" they ask, " LUCKY YOU. Whatever bugs you about where you live is nothing compared to having nowhere to live at all". Upward Bound provides transitional housing for families that have nowhere to go and are trying to get back on their feet. Until a year or so ago, homelessness seemed like a far away concept but now, it's not so hard to imagine the small twists of fate that can propel regular people onto the street. Their newest facility opens on January 29, 2010 in Culver City and with the help of eighteen designers, these temporary living quarters don't have to feel like they're temporary. Vanessa De Vargas of Turquoise is the head designer and you can read more about the "Family Shelter"project on her blog. Accessory Preview is honored to be a part of this wonderful cause and when I dump the bucket of water that has accumulated from today's torrent, I will be grateful.

Q:Which wines shant you decant?

A.Only the very delicate wines

B. All wine

C. Depending on who you speak to, either A or B

Apparently, Chianti and Pinot Noir are no-nos but wines that are full of tannins like Cabernet Sauvignon or Ports would do well for some aeration. Why not just swirl your glass? Because decanting gives you the excuse to own such beautiful bottles like the ones shown above. If you prefer whisky or cognac, these will do the trick too. Is it just me or does owning a bar cart with a fancy decanter on top just scream "COOL ADULT"? Where's my smoking jacket?

Inspiration from Fantasy 80's Flicks

Ahh, the 80's. So much we wish we could forget (that hair!) but other things can inspire. "The Dark Crystal" was a Jim Henson movie that is apparently getting a sequel in the near future and I bet that there will be more computer generated FX rather than puppeteering this time around. The plot involved a "Gelfing" trying to hunt down a shard of the dark crystal to save the world. In "Red Sonja" (which coincidentally is ALSO coming back in a remake with Rose McGowen taking on the part that Brigitte Nielson had in the 1985 version) an evil Queen uses The Talisman to aide her in her scheme to rule the world. This orb feeds off of light energy and grows stronger with the aide of candles. One of my favorite quotes is when an advisor to the Queen remarks that the Talisman is getting too strong. The Queen says "I want MORE lights, not less" in a very Jersey accent and this is supposed to be in barbarian times! So what does this have to do with accessories? Smokey Quartz and lots of candles! What a mood you'd be setting!

Artist Profile: Robert Weil

Talent runs in the family: Interior Designer Sue Norris introduced us to her brother, artist Robert Weil and his sheet metal pieces just floored us! Depicting a cast of characters like a couple in a full-on PDA moment and the zaftig woman shown here, his artwork will lend whimsy and character into any home.

Yule Tide Logs turned glam!

Here is a fabulous idea for using selenite towers in an unconventional way: Use them as faux logs!! I saw this in the now defunct Domino magazine for an article on Nina Campbell's home. This is a great option for fireplaces that are non-functional; many Spanish homes have "fireplace niches" that were never intended to light up. Grab some andirons and make it happen!