THE GIFT I'D GIVE EVERY GRADUATE: How To Steal Like An Artist

This does not exist as a book yet.  But it should.  Even if it's the slimmest, smallest book ever made.  The advice is so spot on, so smart, and presented with such clarity that I'd give it to every graduate that comes my way. Including some in mid-life.  I'd like to steal all the text and images from Austin Kleon's post, but instead I'll send you to his site to read "How to Steal Like An Artist and 9 Other Things Nobody Told Me."  Please come back after you read it and share what advice resonated with you most.

p.s. Here's a real steal: an original work of art by Denise Fike.  The winner of our Sponsor Giveaway,  chooses her own piece from a selection of 10.  Enter by Tuesday 5/24/11.

CHIC TREAT: Stylish Blogger Award

What a wonderful way to start the new year: a Stylish Blogger Award bestowed on Style Maniac by the charming mother/daughter team of Beth and Kristy at Design Chic and also by the sweet Danielle of Fresh Quince!  Thank you, ladies, this is truly a chic treat.

Along with the award comes the request to pay the compliment forward as follows:  {1} Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award. {2} Reveal seven things about yourself. {3} Bestow the award on ten great bloggers you have recently discovered. {4} Contact those bloggers and tell them about the award.
And so ...


7 THINGS you may not know about me: As a little girl I kissed anything purple ... Sappy commercials, cheesy TV moments, sad movies, poignant novels: I cry at all of 'em ... When absorbed in a book, blog or design project I can go hours without food, drink or sleep and not even notice ... Often when I smile I have lipstick on my teeth ... A career test once advised "General in the Army" as my ideal profession ... I'd rather eat French Fries than cake ... I'm continually surprised and delighted to find my obsession for words, images and all things lovely shared with so many fabulous women  around the globe.

10 STYLISH BLOGGERS all highlighted on Style Maniac for the first time and each with her own unique sense of style.  Listed in no order other than how the photos looked pretty one after the other.

You all probably know of The Decorista. But I'm giving this award to 

Ashlina's Decorista Daydreams on Tumblr. Chock full of glamour.

Preppy + Hippy = The Prippy Handbook. TG's always smart, always fun.

Oscar PR Girl.  Can you say dream job?

 The pretty posts by Beth & Kristy from Design Chic would have put them on

my list if they hadn't sent me the award, so I just had to include them.  

{don't expect you ladies to repeat the post, though!}

Danielle at Fresh Quince.  As above already on my list, for her knack at 

uncovering stylish treasures at rock-bottom prices.

Maria at Design Elements imbues modern design and
dramatic travel shots with warmth and soul.

On Pinterest, my newest way to spend a snowy Sunday,
Eve Wang curates the most fabulous photos.

Eleni of My Paradissi always features something fresh and lovely under that gorgeous logo. 

Plus she lives and works on the isle of Crete. Le sigh.

Elizabeth is an event planner whose own wedding is one of the prettiest I've seen. 

The definition of Boho Chic ... just like her blog, Peacock Feathers.

Jessica at My Vintage Vogue has gathered an incredible collection of vintage fashion images.  That's where I found the 1960s Mark Shaw/Vogue photo at the top of this post.

Hope you enjoy visiting all these Stylish Bloggers and exploring their lovely sites.

BACKYARDING with MRS. LILIEN

Oh the joys of blog- and twitter-land:  they deliver you to such delicious discoveries. Thank you, Mrs. Spade, for introducing me to Mrs. Lilien, a  fashionista decorista Dr. Seussian delight.  Not only are her images pure perfection, but her witty words are simply divine.  Click here for her Styling House of treasures. Mrs. Lilien, you're invited over any time.

Images courtesy Mrs. Lilien Styling House

SPRING GIFT GUIDE: Mother's Day

Part One of Style Maniac's Spring Gift Guide: a suggestion just in time for mother's day.  Check back every Friday this month and discover great gift ideas for grads, dads, brides and birthdays.

For mothers, for daughters, for any woman you love--Jaime Morrison Curtis' new book Prudent Advice: Lessons for My Baby Daughter (A Life List for Every Woman) based on her profound and touching blog. Particularly perfect as a last minute gift find since the book is on pre-order.  So print out the cover image above, place it in a pretty frame, add a massive bouquet of white tulips* and tell your mom she'll be one of the first to get this new treasure that, as one reviewer noted, "eschews the obvious and embraces instead the importance of qualities like curiosity, wonder, adventurousness, and empathy."

*If you live close to your mom, you don't need to rely on a florist for a beautiful bouquet.  High-end grocery stores like Whole Foods have surprisingly good selections. Just remember to buy a lot of the same color flowers --for tulips at least three dozen--so the arrangement is luxuriously abundant.  And please, no filler greens!  (For tips on how to keep flowers fresh longer see this coming Monday's post.)

MERCI, GRETCHEN RUBIN, & BONJOUR

Thank you, Gretchen Rubin, for mentioning Style Maniac on The Happiness Project this week--and for bringing so many new visitors to this blog.  And welcome, new subscribers, followers and fans.  We have a great group of smart, stylish and fun readers here and we look forward to having you all join the conversations about books, music, fashion, art, decor, entertaining, style icons, maniac finds, music, life, laughter ... and living every day with style.  Enjoy! 

Image via Thornwillow Press

THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Sometimes a makeover can be about changing the little things.  That's what I like about Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project.  Unlike the escapist form of self-help literature, Gretchen didn't sell everything and run away for a year.  She found ways to be happy within her existing life.  To do so she read every happiness theory she could get her hands on, from Aristotle to Oprah, and gave an amazing number of theories a workout.  In the end, she found some universal truths (having friends makes you happier), individual revelations (what makes me happy might not be what makes you happy) and debunked some happiness myths.  My favorite: "money doesn't make you happy."  Well it does if it allows you to do things you love (travel) and avoid things you hate (cleaning!).

Gretchen suggests a structured approach to creating your own Happiness Project, but that didn't interest me.  Instead my inspiration came more from a New Year's guest post on her blog suggesting  "only make resolutions that will make you happier"-- because you won't keep any other kind.  My resolutions:  See friends more, build blog readership and reach, find at least one class at the gym  I truly enjoy.  And, like Gretchen, get over my aversion to asking for help (more on that in another post).  Hokey as it may sound, doing those things has made me happier.

READ:  The Happiness Project book and blog.  The book takes a more studied approach, while the blog brims with easy tips and items that just make you ... happy. Like the video below. (If it does not appear click here.)

BLOGS I LOVE: Beach Vintage

On days when I long to escape to a beautiful beach (okay, so pretty much every day) I head over to Beach Vintage where Simone Georgette lives out my fantasy of life surrounded by sand, surf and stylish vintage finds.  Not only is her own waterfront home filled with originality and warmth, but she regularly jaunts off to stunning Australian beaches where she often stays with equally fabulous friends.  Pictured here, friend Jody's chic cottage at Stradbroke Island. I just love that juxtaposition of bold contemporary art mixed with freshly recovered antiques. In a crazy twists of the blogosphere, Jody's upholstery came from Black & Spiro, a store owned by recently featured Anna of Absolutely Beautiful Things.  Seems maybe I need to take a trip to Australia for some shopping, sun and blogging!

Images by Simone Georgette, courtesy Beach Vintage: {Summer Days Drifting Away} 

BLOGS I LOVE: Absolutely Beautiful Things

 

Soon after starting Style Maniac my magazine addiction quickly turned into a blog addiction. I was simply stunned by the depth, quality and quantity of beautiful images and new discoveries in the blogosphere--each conveyed with a strong, individual point of view.

 Absolutely Beautiful Things was one of the first blogs I discovered and a post featuring Bed of Flowers, a bed & breakfast in the Netherlands (shown above), remains one of my favorites. Anna Spiro, the blog author, has a sweet sensibility that really inspired me to take a positive tone on my own blog.  Her style is all about pretty but not sappy feminine design with a strong sense of color.  Absolutely beautiful.

Images from absolutely beautiful things: Bed of Flowers except #4 via decor8.