Fascinators: The Hat of Choice at the Royal Wedding...

David and Victoria Beckham (wearing a floral Philip Treacy Fascinator) attend the wedding of William & Kate

A fascinator is a headpiece, a style of millinery. The word originally referred to a fine, lacy head covering akin to a shawl and made from wool or lace. The term had fallen almost into disuse by the 1970s.
In the early 21st century, the term has made a comeback, but the meaning has slightly changed; it is now used to describe a delicate, slightly-to-very frivolous head decoration worn almost exclusively by women. A fascinator may be worn instead of a hat to occasions where hats were traditionally worn—such as weddings—or as an evening accessory, when it may be called a cocktail hat. It is generally worn with fairly formal attire.
See Royal Wedding Hats and Fascinators
A substantial fascinator is a fascinator of some size or bulk. They have been mentioned in the press, due to Queen Elizabeth pronouncing new standards of dress required for entry to Royal Ascot.
Modern fascinators are commonly made with feathers, flowers or beads. They attach to the hair by a comb, headband or clip. They are particularly popular at premium horse-racing events, such as the Grand National and the Melbourne Cup. Brides may choose to wear them as an alternative to a bridal veil or hat, particularly if their gowns are non-traditional.

Congratulations William & Catherine...

The kiss on the Balcony, there were actually two kisses...

Catherine wore a dress designed by Sarah Burton (Alexander McQueen) 

(above) The maid of honor, Catherine's sister Pippa (also in Alexander McQueen, like the bride) is flanked by bridesmaids Grace van Cutsem (daughter of Will's pal Hugh) and Eliza Lopes (Camilla's granddaughter), both 3, as they made their way into Westminster Abbey.

The groom, Prince William (in a red tunic of the Irish Guards) waves to excited onlookers as he arrives at Westminster Abbey with his best man and younger brother, Prince Harry.

Watch the wedding ceremony below:

William and Kate are now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

dessert plates and tartelette

If you haven't yet visited Tartelette, now is a good time to do so. Helene Dujardin, Tartelette’s author, stylist, and photographer, has just published a wonderful new book, Plate to Pixel. Two copies of the book are being given away as well as four gleena dessert plates (white with calligraphy numbers as shown below). All you have to do is leave a comment on Helene’s blog. April 29th is the last day to enter.

Photograph by Helene Dujardin

Nicole Richie Covers Russia's Harper's Bazaar...

So ok, I'm a little late because this is from last month, March 2011, but how great does she look? Ok Nicole, I see you.

Victoria's Secret Policy of Shredding Returned Merchandise...

Victoria's Secret cut up a pair of sweatpants right in front of a customer after she returned them to a Florida store.

The Tampa Tribune reports that shopper Marie Wolf brought back a pair of Pink sweatpants, the clerk refunded her and promptly took a pair of scissors to the item:

"I was shocked, because, mind you, these were $70 sweatpants, and there's nothing wrong with them," Wolf said. "The clerk just said, 'I know, but it's our policy.' "
Outraged, Wolf confronted a store manager, then called the parent company and found, indeed, Victoria's Secret does cut up some returned items so they can't be resold -- even if they're in fine condition.

Apparently, the clerk's only mistake, Wolf said, was to cut up the clothes in front of customers, and not in a back room out of sight.

We've heard of stores destroying unsold merchandise -- H&M and Walmart to name a fine few -- but we're unclear on why VS would shred a pair of pants. It's not like there's serious health issues involved, as there would be with bras or underwear.

Actually, funny we should mention that, since just last year Victoria's Secret was caught reselling returned, and stained undies (ewww). Perhaps the chain's new, drastic take-backs technique stemmed from that scandal. Regardless, remind us to break out the hazmat suits the next time we ever step foot in one of their stores.

WATCH: Beyonce's Dance Video for "Let's Move"

Beyonce teamed up with First Lady Michelle Obama's national youth fitness campaign "Let's Move" to kids moving again. Watch "Move Your Body" below:

WATCH: LaToya Jackson's Post-Apprentice Interview...

a tart break

Lately I have been making tarts. It is such a nice break from the physicality of making ceramics. And you don't have to wait 36 hours to see the baked results! This is a red onion, pear, brie, kalamata olive tart with home-made crust. I like making the crust the best, and this one is quite simple.

1 cup of unbleached all purpose flour
pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper
1 stick of butter
I added thyme too.
1/2 cup cold water

Mix the dry ingredients, grate in the butter, mix with your hand until the flour and butter are like little peas. Slowly add in the water a tablespoon at a time. You might not need the whole 1/2 cup, just until the dough is soft and sticks together well. Rest in the fridge for 1 hour. Roll out to 1/8 thickness with plenty of flour. I like using a tart pan, but you can do it just on a cookie sheet, this tart won't run. Layer onion, pear, sprinkle with sugar, add the layer of brie, top with kalamata olives. Bake for 25-30 minutes. It turns our beautiful and tasty (sweet+savory) every time.

It's Resurrection Sunday... And Happy Easter :)

HIP BEAUTY: Dudes Doing Their Girlfriends's Makeup...

Think Pink

{ Images: 1, 2 Cherry Blossom Girl via there }

Have a wonderfull Easter Holiday Weekend!

Mom Makes Teen's Prom Dress From Starburst Wrappers...

glazing vases

Glazing is a long process, can't say it's my favorite. So much can go wrong, and you don't know that it has gone wrong until the pieces are fired. Dust is enemy No. 1. It can prevent the glaze from sticking to the surface, and you end up with bald spots. Glazing vases is especially tricky. It's hard to get inside to sponge off the dust, so I blow it out as much as I can, and then, well, hope for the best.

This batch came out well, yeay.

Applying the transfers is the next step. Many ask me to explain my transfer process. And all I can recommend is to visit BelDecal. And test their transfers with your clay body and your glazes at your temperature.

My glazes work well with my porcelain. I fire my transfers at a specific temperature that works for my glazes. What works for me will not work for anyone else, as I mix my own porcelain and glazes. I'm not being rude when I say the best way to learn is by trying and failing, and by taking a class. I failed many times, and I spent two years in grad school developing what I do now. And I still fail often. But I still love it, and keep on trying and testing. And when things turn out just right, well... it's like Christmas.

PREVIEW: Single Ladies on VH1 [WATCH]

From watching this trailer, I don't know... hopefully it gets better?

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

SNEAK PEEK: "The Help" An Inspiring Civil Rights Film...

Actress Emma Stone stars and puts on a Mississippi southern accent for her latest film, an inspiring civil rights tale called "The Help."

Starring as Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, Stone plays the enlightened college girl who comes back to her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi and sees old, dark traditions in a whole new light. As a new columnist for her local paper, she works to take up the cause of the horribly discriminated against black household maids, the women who helped raise her and deserve far better than that which her friends that stayed at home are subjecting them to.

Fearful of retribution, it takes an act of God and a lot of persistence to get her maid Aibileen (Viola Davis) and then Aibileen's friend Minny (Octavia Spencer) to cooperate. What comes out of it, though, is a truly groundbreaking movement. WATCH below:


 Wanna read the book before you see the film? Get it HERE >> The Help

J. Mendel

Amazing Floating Dresses + Pops of Orange

{ from J.Mendel }

WATCH: Nick Cannon Looks Forward To Being a Dad.

Kanye Rocks Womenswear at Coachella...

Kanye West performed at Coachella on Sunday April 17 this year wearing womenswear from Celine's 2011 Spring line. And you know what? I can't even hate on this. Not even a little bit. Because I stroll around in the men's department looking for cool finds for myself on occasion. I have a pair of 34" waist menswear khaki pants that I purchased to wear and I LOVE them. They don't fit my waist, but I belt them around my hips for an easy, hipster/tomboy fit. Trust me, it works. And honestly ya'll. Are we really that shocked at Kanye wearing designer womenswear or anything else that's completely out of the ordinary? I mean come on. We are talking about Kanye.

Celine Spring 2011

Official Celine

Dressing Rooms to Charge a Fee in Australia. Will It Work?

Blame it on the global financial crisis, the rise of the mega-mall, the online shopping revolution or our sky-high dollar but the boutique retail sector is suffering. Clothing and footwear sales declined 4.8 per cent in the year to December and a stroll down any of Sydney's once-burgeoning shopping precincts will reveal a stream of sale signs and, worse, empty stores.

In the latest twist, retailers have resorted to charging try-on fees in store, which are refunded upon purchase, to stop consumers heading online to search for the same item at a lower price.

Besieged by the new world of e-commerce, it is no longer enough for traditional bricks-and-mortar stores to fill their racks and then wait for the customers to roll in.

Continue reading this article HERE.

Get Cute Maxi Skirts at Amazon...

FULL TILT Chiffon Womens Maxi Skirt (above)

Rachel Pally Womens Seamed Cotton Maxi Skirt,Stone,X-Small (above)

Style Verdict: Long Maxi Skirts...

I've been seeing lots of long maxi skirts whenever I'm in the shopping centers lately, and I have to say, for the most part, I like what I've been seeing! The look is so Springtime Bohemian Chic. I love it. I think they look the most stylish casual with a flat sandal, I'm not really feeling this look with a heel unless it's some type of wedge, preferably an espadrille, but hey, that's just me. I want to know what you guys think about maxi skirts. Do you like it? Hate it? Don't care? Would you wear it? I wanna know your style verdict.

The End of an Era for Two ABC Soap Operas...

After more than 40 years on television, daytime soaps "All My Childen" and "One Life to Live" have both been cancelled. WATCH below:

deirdre hawthorne’s sunprints

Deirdre Hawthorne, an artist residing in Northern Ireland, creates exquisite cyanotypes on paper as well as ceramics. Sir John Herschel (mathematician, chemist, astronomer, inventor, photographer, botanist) discovered this photographic printing process in 1842 as a means to reproduce notes and diagrams, as in a blueprint. I have never seen the technique used on ceramics. The surface has to be porous to absorb the chemicals, so Deirdre uses her delicately thin bisque-ware. The results are ethereal, a landscape captured on a three dimensional form.

Deirdre’s prints on paper feel like watercolor paintings, gestural brush strokes of juicy color.

Spotted Out: Christina Milian & Her Cutie Baby Violet...

Christina Milian and her daughter Violet attended the Silver Rose Gala And Auction held at Beverly Hills Hotel on April 17, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. 

Spotted Out: Taraji P. Henson at the Silver Rose Gala...

Taraji P. Henson attended the Silver Rose Gala And Auction held at Beverly Hills Hotel on April 17, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California.

Halle Berry Pretty in Pink...

Halle Berry arrived at the Silver Rose Gala And Auction at Beverly Hills Hotel on April 17, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. 

The End of an Era: Store Perfume Sprayers are DONE.

According to the New York Times, the practice of perfume demonstrators squirting passersby in department stores started in the 1950's as something fun for shoppers and has evolved into the out of control state it's currently in, which is that demonstrators are sort of like live action pop up ads. Continue reading this article HERE.

Display it Softly

EXTENDED PREVIEW: William & Kate, The Movie

Jennifer Lopez Named People Mag's Most Beautiful...

Other notables on People Magazine's 2011 Most Beautiful list include Jennifer Hudson, Sandra Bullock, Eva Longoria and more. Check it out HERE.

The Colours of Celine

{ photos by STREETFSN }

what a treat...

...it is to see my work photographed by my customers. I feel fortunate that my ceramics appeals to artists. Below are photographs from a lovely Franco-Russian blog, veshiwish.

Thank you, Anna, for your support and for your beautiful photography!

SNEAK PEEK: Braxton Family Values. Are You Watching?

Premieres tonight on We TV.

Savage Beauty: An Alexander McQueen Retrospective...

I would love to see this exhibit at the Met before it closes. On May 2 the annual Met Ball kicks of the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute's new exhibit, Savage Beauty, a retrospective of Alexander McQueen's work. The hefty catalogue of the exhibit was recently distributed, and it features new glorious photos of some of the late designer's most glorious pieces. The book also includes Tim Blanks's interview with McQueen's successor, Sarah Burton — one of the most extensive that's been conducted to date.

Continue reading this article and see more beautiful images from the Alexander McQueen exhibit HERE.