Salon de Maria Blog

Much of my time this week has been spent reading up on all the latest fashion news - especially since New York Fashion Week is around the corner, I have to keep up with all the commentary, who's hot, what designers to watch, etc.  Oh, such a hard job that I have! 

There's a great deal of misconception among people outside the fashion world that fashion is a superficial industry.  The media and movies are partly to blame.  If you've watched The Devil Wears Prada, you probably think that all fashion editors are bitches and all people care about are outward appearances.   Although this may be true to some degree, for the most part, the people I have been in contact with have been more than gracious. 

Here are just a couple of questions I've read or heard about the topic of fashion:

Can people actually have intelligent conversations about fashion? Of course.  Fashion is a business just like anything else in this world and there's certainly money to be made in the fashion industry.  It's not just about which celebrity wore what on the red carpet.  We all wear clothes, right? 

Can people make a difference in this world by working in the fashion industry?  Of course.  Coco Chanel gave women stylish and chic clothing to wear to work.  Stella McCartney is using her power to fight for animal rights.  Ralph Lauren has donated eco-friendly "denim" insulation to the Habitat for Humanity.  I could go on and on...

I still have yet to visit New York and truly experience the fashion capital, but I'm planning on attending Fashion Week next year.  I've already started researching and planning the trip this week. Surprisingly, flights to New York aren't as bad as I expected them to be.  If you are taking any holidays to New York, you may want to check out DialAFlight, a website where you can shop for flights and hotels to various cities around the world.

Photo by Kevin Connors

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It's almost one in the morning and I've barely done anything I wanted to do today.  I should know better than to depend on a To Do list to measure my accomplishments...Yet, I feel overwhelmed - so overwhelmed that I'm frozen - unable to do anything period. 

And for what reason?  It's not like a have a boss breathing down my neck wondering why I decided to watch Nanny McPhee instead of work on building traffic to my blogs.  It was supposed to be a month of following bliss and yet, I feel guilty of doing just that!  Why, or why?

I could hire bloggers to contribute to my blogs and that would certainly take some load off, but that's a task in itself and just another thing to add to the To Do list.  I could also blog less...But would that affect my traffic? 

I keep coming back to this thought:

"It's not what you do...It's how you do it."  Exactly what does that mean and how does it apply to what's going on with my business right now?  What is The Universe trying to tell me? 

Excuse my "babble", but writing out my thoughts has helped me get a little more perspective on my feelings and is steering me in the direction I need to go...

This is all supposed to be fun, remember, Maria?  Nothing you can't handle and a cup of wine can't cure ;)
 

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I've been up until the wee hours of the morning still adding new products to my gift shop over at CafePress.  I figured this would be the perfect way to bring in some extra cash for the Christmas season!

I like sitting down and making handcrafted greeting cards, but right now I seem to be having more fun making graphics with Photoshop.  I like the idea of being able to create something within a matter of minutes.  Instant gratification! 

To the left is a BBQ apron with a picture of yellow daisies on it. I took the picture one day as I was strolling through the neighborhood... The picture on this mug was taken in Balboa Park in San Diego. I love the architecture of the museums and of course, what's a San Diego picture without palm trees!  Click on the pictures to purchase...

If you would like a product custom made for you, drop me a line:  maria [at] salondemaria [dot] info.

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Summer is my least favorite season of the year for the obvious reason - it's just way too hot. Well, in San Diego the weather doesn't get too bad, but right now I'm at my parents house smack dab in the middle of California. The temperatures can go into the triple digits on most summer days, just like today. However, being a person who likes to look at the positive in everything. I will say that I'm thankful that we do have air conditioning!

And in the spirit of summer, I thought I'd take an ordinary item like a house fan and make it into art! For this piece below I took a picture of a fan and used the different artistic elements in Photoshop to jazz it up a bit. In the Photoshop menu simply go to "Filter", then choose "Artistic", and then you can choose any of the number of artistic filters to create a piece of digital art with a click of the button!

Speaking of fans, for those of you who don't have air conditioning or would like to save on your energy bill, I did come across these tips for keeping cool without air conditioning. If you're in the market for a new fan for your home, you can find a variety of cooling fans by visiting: http://www.cool-off.com/misting-fans/

 

**Sponsored Post

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The past week was full of inspirational moments - From reading Phil Gerbyshak's book, to discovering my niche at Online Business Resources, watching Julienne Irwin sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", and creating inspirational apparel and art for my CafePress shop. 

I especially liked creating the graphics and art for my latest items in the gift shop.  Here are a couple of them...

This is a photo of a bowl of apples that I took and edited in Photoshop. It is available as a print over at the gift shop... 

 

Posted by Maria Palma at 06:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 

Dr. Ellen Weber of BrainBasedBusiness said something very interesting today:

"Without question,  we all depend on comfort zones – such as dressing before we head out to work.  Addictions to ruts or rigid routines … on the other hand …  will literally shrink the human brain."

I am so not a "routine" person.  Being a creative individual, I can start to feel when I'm getting caught in a rut.  My mind somehow won't let me fall into that trap.  Perhaps my brain is too big from all the reading I do!  I even tried to keep a blogging schedule, but that only last for a few days. 

Is there something wrong with simply following your bliss?  Perhaps I've been called a "mindless wanderer", "Bohemian", or whatever label they have for someone who simply wants to go after her dream and just enjoy the journey.  I think it's part of the artist's Spirit to just go with the flow...and I'm proud to say that I never live a dull moment in my life! 

That's not to say that I don't keep some level of comfort and I don't have goals.  I do keep a routine of waking up in the morning, Thanking The Universe for a great day, brushing my teeth, and meditating. That's about it.  I think it helps that I work from home and can pretty much come and go as I please.  For those who work in the corporate world, it may be a little more difficult to get out of a rut because of all the structure and "rules" there are in the work place.

Are you having a more creative life? 

Posted by Maria Palma at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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It's been a long week without really being able to blog.  That's what I get for being addicted to the internet and blogging!

All is well, however.  I finally realized that it was a blessing in disguise.  It definitely gave me a chance to play around with Photoshop.  Here are a couple of graphics I created...

 

I never realized how much fun graphic design is! Hmmm...I may just take a class and learn something new! I did come across the Graphic Design Blog to learn more...This may become my new hobby ;)

Posted by Maria Palma at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 
"Everyone has a story, and it in those stories we can find a thread that ties us all together. That thread is our human experience."  -- Kimberlee Morrison

A story of...
hope,
courage,
inspiration,
determination,
perseverance,
dreams,
bonding,
love,
and freedom.

Freedom Writers:  It's the universal story shared by each and every one of us.  I watched this movie for the first time today and it spoke to me on so many levels - as it probably did to everyone who has watched it. 

I first found out about the Freedom Writers movie from fellow writer over at Know More Media, Kimberlee Morrison.  Kimberlee was actually one of the students portrayed in the movie.  In celebration of Kimberlee's birthday this past week I felt it fitting to check out the movie - finally! 

"Blessed With a Burden"
Ms. Gruwell, played by Hilary Swank, was a freshman English teacher ready to take on the challenge of teaching to a group of kids who had previously attended the "School of Hard Knocks".  When she walked into class that very first day, all bright-eyed and innocent, I saw myself in her.  She was the idealist who thought that anything is possible...and that's me to the bone.  Whatever obstacle was faced could be overcome.  Ms. Gruwell was determined to make a difference and nothing would get in her way.

"Oooh, child, things are gonna get easier..."
For the students attending Ms. Gruwell's class, they found inspiration in her.  They no longer were lost souls trying to find an identity.  These kids discovered that they, too, have a story to share - a story that would inspire others for years to come. 

One of the books the students read was The Diary of Anne Frank - a book I highly recommend that everyone read.  I read this book as a young girl and was fascinated with the courage of Anne (who was the same age as me when I read it for the first time).  I believe it was after reading The Diary of Anne Frank that I realized not everyone lived a hunky-dory life like I did at that time.  My real challenges in life came a little later - which I may share here soon. 

The One Little Light in the Dark
Ms. Gruwell found true fulfillment in her life by teaching these kids.  She was the little light in her students' world - the one who made the difference.  If you want to make a difference in the world, start with the people around you! 

We're all Freedom Writers
The reason why I love this movie so much is because I've always encouraged people to tell their story - as did Ms. Gruwell.   WE ALL HAVE A STORY TO SHARE.  Whether it's in a diary or online blog - just share it!  We all have the same hopes and dreams, even though the journey may be different.  It's in sharing these stories that we inspire others who may share the same challenges that we face. 

Just like Kimberlee said, it's the human experience - the experience of hopes and dreams - that ties us all together. 

So, what's your story?  What life experience do you have to share that could help someone else? 
__________________________
Buy the movie >>> Freedom Writers

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