Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION.
Inspirations on Life/Style/Design/ Recipes/ Health +
Bad St. Paddys Day Jokes:
“This is the one day of the year where green’s meaning shifts from saving the environment to polluting our major organs.”
“St. Patricks day is like Valentines day for those who love Jameson (whiskey) and bad decisions.”
“It’s also the one holiday where full-blown alcoholism could possibly go undetected.”
My favourite: “An Irish guy walks out of a bar….No; really, it can happen!”
Enjoy the day even if you’re not even part Irish!
Have you heard of it? 
When I lived in Brazil I was introduced to an abundance of new (to me) super foods like Açaí, Guarana, Mangosteen & Acerola. I was blending up these seeds and berries to make delicious smoothies long before they became known and popular in North America. As a matter of fact I never felt healthier than during the year I lived in Brazil. Now there’s a new fruit hitting the market. It’s called Cupuaçu (pronounced koo-poo-ah-soo) and grows in the Amazon Rainforest drainage basin in northern parts of Brazil.
Some of the Benefits
Cupuacu contains vitamins B1, B2, B3 (niacin) fatty and amino acids, and at least nine antioxidants including vitamin A and C and minerals such as calcium, selenium and others.
Cupuacu’s primary health benefit is stimulating the immune system thus supporting the body’s ability to fight disease. Cupuacu has an energetic effect, but does not contain caffeine. It is one of the few cocoa relatives that does not.
Cupuacu’s benefits are synergistic. For example, the energy-boosting effect mentioned is a result of the fruit’s heightening of the immune system, lowering of blood pressure and the overall body-boosting effects of the fast-acting nutrients and vitamins from the fruit. Unlike most energy drinks or caffeine, though, there is no tired feeling afterwards.
Other synergistic effects include healthier skin and hair, lowered cholesterol levels and improved libido. In addition, many of the fruits nutrients are boosters for the gastro-intestinal system and the cardiovascular system.
Cupuaçu is wildly popular in Brazil as well as other parts of South America. For centuries, natives of the rainforest have used the fruit of the cupuaçu tree as a main source of food and it continues to be a delicacy in the more populated towns of South America.
Today, cupuaçu pulp is often used for making juice, ice cream, smoothies, mousse, jellies, chocolates called “cupualte” (the seeds used for producing this product have similar characteristics to chocolate, but contains nutritional value and is healthier.
The pulp of the fruit is frequently used in the cosmetic industry for shampoos, soaps, lotions and creams due to it being highly hydrating with its emollient power giving similar effects to your body as cocoa butter. I noticed it listed as one of the main ingredients in the jar of Suzanne Organics (by Suzanne Somers) body butter which by the way is amazing in itself.
Other common traditional uses for cupuaçu include:
The Amazon is so vast with its wealth of flora and fauna that in time I’m sure we’ll be acquainted with many more amazing edibles to come.
Source: amafruits.com
Not a Pig; as formerly thought. I had an expert look into it for me (because I’m born on the cusp it was confusing and if I put my actual birthdate it always came up “pig”) and since my boy Jia Jia was born in China, it makes perfect sense because the stars are aligned – we’re both extremely loyal and commited. We relate to each other perfectly! I always suspected I was a dog – after all, Jia Jia thinks I’m a perfect bitch!
The Dog comes in five types: metal, wood, food, fire & earth each with a specific personality description. Sharing Earth Dog similarities were Winston Churchill, Voltaire, Lady Godiva, Brigitte Bardot, Cher, Mother Teresa, Jacques Cousteau, Elvis Presley, George Gershwin, Judy Garland & Shirley Maclaine. I must say, not a bad lineup.
But enough about me……
Predicting the future by observing the stars and planets was an ancient art long before Europeans discovered/invented the mathematics necessary to make these same predictions. However, the yearly Animal signs bear the much same relationship to Chinese Astrology as Sun Signs have to Western Astrology – a cursory overview, and over simplification. As with Western Sun Signs, the twelve Animals of the Chinese zodiac do represent archetypes useful to writers.
It’s not yet Spring let alone Summer, but since fashion is on its own calendar, the fashion folks are already calling out Pre-Fall 2017 collections. Is there really another reason for another season?
Pre-Fall is one of those fashion terms that doesn’t really make sense to the general public. Isn’t it kind of Spring/Summer…sort of? Pre-Fall collections arrive in stores in late Spring, and many are available through the end of the year. As such, they tend to be full of the wearable, versatile, seasonal clothes you live in, as opposed to runway looks.
Editors called out their favorite looks: the items they’d beg for because they need them right now, like the bold striped outfit from Monse; the dreamy, not-so-practical looks they’d like to borrow, like Altuzarra’s romantic head-to-toe floral; and the looks they’d like to steal because they feel totally new, like Givenchy’s monochromatic ruby pantsuit (with a huge agate pendant). I wonder how many women can wear these outfits as effortlessly as these models?
FYI: I almost bought a pair of Red trousers today but it just didn’t feel… quite like me just yet.
I’m not into begging or stealing but I might consider borrowing. How about you?
Image: Vogue
Two things I picked up recently at the supermarket: Sunchokes & Watercress.
I haven’t had watercress in ages mostly because I rarely find it other than farmers markets. I almost forgot the nice peppery taste and how great it goes in salads either as the main leafy green or added to a mix of others.
One time in Jamaica I swam across an area of the wild cruciferous plant so I snapped off a bunch of the leaves and took it back and made watercress sandwiches (with thinly sliced onion on the advice of someone who swore how delicious & nutritious it was). It used to be a staple of the working class diet in England. It comes with good recommendation. The ancient green is said to have also been a staple in the diet of Roman soldiers with a long history of benefits like immunity boosting properties, a cancer preventative and support for thyroid. In fact, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used watercress to treat his patients. What was good enough for the Romans & Hippocrates is good enough for me.
Sunchokes are a different matter.
They are a vegetable formerly known as “Jerusalem Artichokes” and are neither from Jerusalem nor are they related to artichokes. They are originally cultivated by Native Americans. I guess that’s all the history I’m getting or giving for now. They look like large pieces of ginger but taste a bit nutty and sweet at the same time. It’s pretty weird sounding.
I am neither used to seeing them or cooking with them but since I’m always up for trying something new, I bought a package. I asked a supermarket employee in the vegetable department what to do with them. He said “cook em up like you would a potatoe. Peel, leave skin on, mash, bake or boil – they’re delish!” I decided to slice them fairly thin with skin on, drizzle olive oil over top, a little sea salt & fresh dill and bake them in the oven. They baked in very little time and were quite yummy with more of a root vegetable taste.
I will make them again and try different ways of serving them.
Have you tried them?
It’s the whole package!
This has to be the most remarkable outdoor arts festival I’ve ever been to. Certainly the largest.
No wonder it has been ranked #1 in the Nation for many years.
This is the 35th year the Annual La Quinta Arts Festival has returned to the visually stunning setting of La Quinta’s Civic Center Campus in the greater Palm Springs area.
As one of the Coachella Valley’s premier attractions, the award winning event attracts art patrons and tourists from across the nation. The festival raises funds for the Foundation’s non-profit mission of promoting & cultivating the arts.
The world class artists have traveled from all over to present the very finest in contemporary artwork. Only 220 gifted artists and crafters are chosen from over 1,200 applicants who vie for the opportunity to showcase their incomparable works of art in the magnificent outdoor gallery.
Live music, entertainment, delicious food (Ruth’s Chris Steak House had a kiosk with filet steak sandwiches & champagne), wine and beer complement the experience. A few examples on this page.
images: d. king
I was thinking about starting a series about women who inspire me and who better to start off with than Suzanne Somers.
Suzanne said people magazine once described her as the dumbest woman in America. Which means she did a great job of playing the blond bombshell bimbo Chrissy Snow in the long running sitcom(edy) “Three’s Company.”
But she had the last laugh because the idiot who wrote that didn’t realize her full potential. A cancer survivor, she is a well respected health and wellness advocate, a *best selling author having written 25 books (her latest is called Tox-Sick – From Toxic to Not Sick), singer, dancer, Vegas nightclub performer (who was once named Female Entertainer of the Year, the same year Frank Sinatra was named Male Entertainer of the Year, ) and savvy business woman with her suzanne organics skincare & cosmetics line. It’s a pretty impressive resume. There’s so much to her, but for now we’ll focus on her pure organic skincare line because I was waiting for something beauty-wise to inspire me for a beauty post – this is it! And it’s never just about looking good (although we love that); it’s about feeling good from the inside out. Which by the way, always makes one look better on the outside.
“It’s as if we are all on a big, chemical drunk, and the hangover is a killer.” – Suzanne Somers, in TOX-SICK
So I was thrilled to meet her alongside her handsome hubby Alan Hamel (I do remember well his successful TV talk show in Canada) when she launched her Radiance Facial Kit at Clark’s Nutrition – a fantastic family run natural foods market in Rancho Mirage. Wait; it’s not just the facial kit she has – it’s a complete line of body care, skincare, sunless tanning, haircare and now cosmetics. It’s a great line because it’s more than natural and organic…it’s certified ToxicFree. What that means is a lot of NO’s! No Pegs, Parabens, chemical emulsifiers, artificial colors, fragrance and of course NO animal testing. She doesn’t kid around. She walks/eats/looks the talk! She even grows her own food. It’s exhausting to even think about. She really does live toxic-free. She discussed this along with her belief about a new way to age. On close inspection I decided if she uses her own stuff (which she completely does) and looks that good I better buy me some.
As you may know I make my own little line of pure products so I’m very picky about what I choose to put on my face + body but I went for the coco mango body butter (a friend of mine swears by it – “it f….ing works!” Also the ageless serum (because it’s loaded with sea algae extract and African Birch) and a lipstick in caramelized peach (because it sounded yummy & looked pretty). Just so you know. All made in California.
Suzanne says she’s always loved the idea of pure organic skincare but had never experienced any anti-aging benefits so would end up reverting back to chemically-based products. Now she has the best of both worlds. She works closely with the formulators to use the power of nature to find the most effective anti-aging actives for clean, beautiful products to feed, nurture and hydrate precious skin. It is like superfood for your skin.
OMG I never realized just how much we have in common! I never even told her that I met her “Three’s Company” co-star John Ritter in Tokyo years ago on a TV series and how nicely he treated me. But maybe she knows that now.
*On one of her many books about health and nutrition “Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness,”: She scored a big coup with “Sex and the City 2.” Her book is heavily featured in the movie. Kim Cattrall‘s Samantha–who announces that she’s “fifty-f-ing-two” and going through menopause–declares that she lives by it. She hands it to everyone in the movie. By the end of the movie, women are exchanging copies of “Breakthrough,” with the cover very prominent. A book publisher’s dream.
And if all that isn’t enough, she’s nice too! An inspiration to all women!
website: http://www.suzannesomers.com/
images: d. king
I mean unless you weren’t born yet, who can forget a young Brooke Shields flaunting her jeans, a skinny Kate Moss and a buff Marky Mark (Wahlberg) wearing all American classic T shirts & underwear…and nothing else.
Now we have Raf Simons (previous creative director for Christian Dior) blending Art with Denim in a New Calvin Klein Campaign.
Continuing to drop hints online about his direction for Calvin Klein, Raf Simons has unveiled a spring campaign for underwear and jeans that juxtaposes those iconic items with modern and contemporary art.
Just released on Calvin Klein’s web site and its own social channels, the ads showcase archival denim, a cotton tank top and quintessential men’s briefs in playful contrast with works from the second half of the 20th century. The clothes strike up a conversation with the art — much the way designers and artists in New York’s Pop heyday — on the streets of SoHo or on the dance floor of Studio 54, the company said.
Works by Andy Warhol, Dan Flavin, Richard Prince and Sterling Ruby are featured, photographed at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and the Rubell Family Collection in Miami.
Simons, chief creative officer of Calvin Klein, is well known for his passion for art. “It’s a celebration of Calvin Klein’s iconic underwear and jeans, acknowledging their status as Pop and showing them in the world of art,” he explained.
Pieter Mulier, creative director of Calvin Klein, added, “Looks were specifically chosen from the Calvin Klein archive for the campaign; it’s both a recognition of design firsts and the photographic history of the brand that made these garments famous.”
The eight advertising images were photographed by Willy Vanderperre and styled by Olivier Rizzo, featuring a largely unknown cast.
One ad, for example, features a guy in jeans standing in front of a 2,000 joke painting by Prince. It reads: “A guy goes to a psychiatrist wearing only Saran Wrap. The psychiatrist says to the guy, I can clearly see your nuts you nut.” Another shows a guy in a pair of jeans and taking off his white T-shirt and standing in front of Warhol’s 1976 “Skull” painting. And a third shows a guy in underwear and a girl in jeans and a white tank top admiring Warhol’s “Elvis 11.”
Each of the ads features a description of the artwork and a snippet about the artist. Ads launch this month on billboards, the Internet and in magazines.
Photos credit: the series of eight distinct advertising images was photographed by Willy Vanderperre.
Source for story: Lisa Lockwood for WWD.com
Website: http://calvinklein.com
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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