New 5th Ave. Vintage Coat

I got my hands on an awesome vintage Saks Fifth Avenue coat!!! So original and so flashy.  Great condition, now researching it online to get more info.  I'm pretty sure that it's circa 1960's, but want to make sure.  I will be posting it for sale as soon as I get it cleaned and ready.

What I’ve learned today

What I’ve learned today?

Few key facts about sunscreen that I didn’t know. Before you head off to the store to grab some, please read this, make a note and be much safer this summer (well, and whole year round).

The good:

Things you want in your sunscreen:

ZINC, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, AVOBENZONE OR MEXORYL SX

Types of sunscreen to buy:

CREAM, BETWEEN 30-50 SPF, WATER RESISTANT, MADE FOR POOL AND EXERCISE

The bad:

Things you don‘t want in your sunscreen:

OXYBENZONE, VITAMIN A (retinyl palmitate), ADDED INSECT REPELLENT (buy it separately and apply before the sunscreen)

Types of sunscreen not to buy:

SPRAYS, POWDERS, SPF ABOVE 50

Why Vitamin A? Studies show that even small amounts of it in the sunscreen significantly speed the growth of tumors and lesions in lab animals, something that FDA will not tell you about. The kicker is that over 40% of sunscreens out there have this ingredient and promoting it as a “good thing”. Why oxybenzone? Mostly bad for children, experts say that oxybenzone penetrates the skin and is associated with allergic reactions and potential hormone disruption.

As for the 50 SPF or higher, it doesn’t really give you more protection and people tend to use less when the SPF is 80 or 100 thinking that they are safe. Also we don’t tend to use enough, you should use at least a shot glass and re-apply often…even though it’s pain in the &%s, but sure better than cancer.

So there, that’s what I’ve learned today.

What Most Protein Powders Do To Your Brain!

Very interesting and worth knowing. Please listen to this, it only is 4 min. and it might change the way you think about your diet.

Easy Tomato Basil Lasagna

I made this earlier this week and wanted to share the recipe with you. We didn't have any meat at home and I decided to come up with a vegetarian lasagna (and I wanted to use the wonderful basil that we have growing). It's meatless, healthy and tastes great the next day.

What you need:

1/2 pack of whole wheat lasagna noodles

1 container of grape tomatoes

handful of FRESH basil

1 can of (low sodium) tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic (can do more if you want)

1/2 tbsp. of olive oil

1 tsp. of butter

1 egg

1 container of low-fat ricotta cheese

some part skim mozzarella and any hard cheese you have (Pecorino Romano, Parmesan etc.)

1 tbsp. dry oregano (optional)

salt & pepper

How to:

Soak the pasta in hot water for about 20 minutes (use really hot water not warm!).

Chop the garlic, heat up a pan with the butter and olive oil then add the garlic. Watch out, don't burn it like I did!! Add the tomatoes, sprinkle some salt and pepper, cover and simmer on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes can be easily crushed with a fork.

In a bowl, mix the ricotta, oregano, some salt, pepper and 1 egg. Set aside.

Chop the basil, you should have at least a cup of it if not more. Don't be stingy here. When you rinse it, I like to throw it in a salad spinner, but you can just simply dry it with a paper towel.

Now, when the tomatoes are cooked, gently (watch out, it might spray) pierce/crush them with a fork, throw in the basil and cook for two minutes. Now, depending on how juicy and big your tomatoes are, if you don't have that much sauce add the can of tomatoes.

Next, assemble. Spray a baking dish (whatever size you have if fine, you will have more or less layers, no biggie) with cooking spray on all sides and bottom. Layer it with the noodles, then the ricotta mix, then sliced/shredded mozzarella and parmesan, then with the tomato basil sauce. And repeat until you are done. Finish with the noodle layer and sprinkle some mozzarella and parmesan on top.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Let it stand for few minutes before cutting. Yum!

Birthday Breakfast

See what's cooking.
Rustic, homemade birthday breakfast that works great for any occasion and doesn't take all day to make.

click here for more.

See what's for dinner

Visit my Royal Perry Girl blog, to get a delicious Coconut Curry Chicken with a Kick recipe. It's whats for dinner and it only takes 25 minutes to make!!!

What's New in the Royal Perry store

Few new things that I was able to add to the Royal Perry store, between finishing custom jewelry pieces, invitations and studying, I sneaked in a couple of necklaces.


What makes them special, are these one of a kind vintage, carved glass pendants. I have them in several colors and slowly working through all of them. Such fun to mix and match stones, pearls and other materials.

Color Me

I've been thinking a lot about color lately and since an idea came up of organizing a pre-show in May that would only feature my beaded bracelets, necklaces and flowers I have decided to work on my inspiration color palette.

The main idea behind the show is market research. I want to find out what women really like, which pieces do they respond to and basically what sells more before I organize the "big" show. As of now, I got a bit conflicting messages from my clients, each responding to something else, which maybe proves the point of doing what YOU think and feel is right.....

Here's the color palette for my upcoming designs

A bit of contrast, romantic feel with whole lot of mixing! Pink, white, blue, with deep plum, red and earth tones.....lovely!

Chanel Spring 2010

Anna Sui Spring 2010 Louis Vuitton Spring 2010

Kenzo Spring 2010

Louis Vuitton Spring 2010 Alice + Olivia Fall 2010

Chanel Spring 2010 Etro Spring 2010

Wunderkind Spring 2010 Ralph Lauren Spring 2010

Alice + Olivia Fall 2010

Bad week - Confessions of a tiny new business

Last week was really bad. I didn't post anything, didn't make anything. Very occupied with my family life and this had to be put on a back burner. I did post new images on flickr and few items on etsy today, but that is not enough to get things moving in this economy. Unfortunately the only way this will work is if I'm consistent, but it's hard, your family and work (pay check) has to come first! Well, to all artists and crafters out there...keep your chin up, if you won't make millions, at least you'll enjoy making stuff on Sunday afternoons....

Confessions of a tiny new business (in recession)

Last night I have decided to test the two sites, etsy and artfire. Now, I have two stores and am curious to see which will do better, what kind of customers shop on etsy vs. artfire and what do they buy.

I’m still in the “experimental” phase. Trying to figure out how to best take pictures, what to post, when and how frequently. The best reads for me right now are the countless articles on etsy from artists who actually succeeded and are doing this full time. On Monday they posted an interview with K Garner Designs, a jewelry designer and a stay at home mommy of –soon to be- two. She started making jewelry for friends and family concentrating mostly on weddings. One thing that really stuck with me was Karen saying that “I feel that I was in experiment mode for much of 2009 – trying out new products, experimenting with photography and just learning how to best organize myself to get orders out and keep records.” This really made me feel better and I don't even mind that I’m running like a chicken without a head at times. I feel such anxiety, trying to fill the store in, the flickr account and even this blog. My last etsy store was doing well (it’s still up, you can check it out here ), but I felt that because of going back to work, the hustle with my stationery orders, lack of time to promote and update it, I needed to start fresh....

I totally recommend reading Karen’s story, even if you’re not a seller. You can find it here.

So, today it’s Friday and I’m just going to focus on the big picture. I will try to post as many items over the weekend as I possibly can….Go sale #2!!! Go!!!

And now off to work....

Flower Vine Necklace from KGarnerDesigns etsy shop, $26

Vintage inspired Pearl Earrings, also from K Garner Designs, $15

Oldie but Goodie

I have been wearing my Urban Outfitters "boys" British flag tee, paired with jeans and my Adidas hi-tops for quite some time, and I still can't get enough of this style. It's so comfy, easy and no matter how you look at it, kinda cool.

I’m super excited because I finally have my British flag iPhone cases/wallets ready. I got the prototype few months ago and I fell in love. The first intention was to have one for myself. My precious! I don't know about you, but I absolutely HATE to go out with my purse or handbag no matter how cute it is or how it goes with my outfit. Soooo, I had this dream little wristlet in my head with the British flag which would go with anything...I gave my dad a ring. He is a genius when it comes to leather. Let me just tell you, he's been working, selling and making leather things (wallets, bags, belts and so on) since he was eleven. Yes, I said eleven, and yes, I said selling!
Anyways, I've begged him to do this for me and then I went a bit further and asked him for a small Union Jack handbag (that pic will come soon, it's almost done!).

Style note!
A key point on how to wear “it”. Just like leopard print, please don't overdo it. You're not supposed to "wear" the flag. Only ONE print/logo per outfit please. Pair a printed t-shirt with a black tailored jacket, flag Converse sneakers with a black and white striped t-shirt...Have fun with it and treat it as a pattern, just like the sailor trend, the British flag is one of the classics.

***little side note, there is no hidden political message here, it really is a well designed flag! No flags were destroyed in any of these projects!!***

My new iPhone wallet ...

Urban Outfitters Flask $18


Mohawk Fleece Hat from Nirvanna Designs


Leather Union Jack Heart Brooch by Love From Hetty and Dave's Shop on etsy $49




London Theme Charm Bracelet from Fluffington's Shop on etsy, $23

Asprey Jack Ruby Ring

Love Moschino patent leather Union Jack Flat, $225

Just looking...

I had to post these. Getting ready to call it a day, but I couldn't resist a quick look through my favorite websites, a bit for inspiration and a bit to relax at the end of the day.

Here's something wonderful that I have stumbled upon. Free People have these one of a kind, handmade pieces, where they mix new materials with vintage jewelry...sure not a new concept and they are ridiculously expensive, but nevertheless they are very pretty to look at. Check it out and get inspired!

I still can't believe that Alexander McQueen is no longer with us. It truly pains me and I cannot imagine the fashion world without him. He was a genius, pure talent. I feel that he was the J P Gaultier of our generation...... I almost choked when I saw the new ELLE and in the calendar section they had a caption "Happy Birthday McQueen", he would be 41...little did they know. I hope you are in a better place and can still create your masterpieces.


Here are just a few of my fav looks....






(these photos don't belong to me, simply posted here to spread the word and art of the designer)