Ten Days of Gifting - Day Four with the Fabulous Fonda Lee

Hello holiday beauties (and handsomes)!

Day four has arrived and on this Friday night, we're feeling fabulous. Our hair is in place (thank you Air Bar), we have our ALLITO clutches, and are well represented with monograms thanks to Initial Styles. What next? A contributor dear to our hearts, Fonda Lee (owner of The Beauty Bar in Palm Beach Gardens, FL) has offered her personal, makeup artistry discount just in time for you to paint the town, holiday style. Truth be told, no-one needs to find a reason (such as a holiday event or dinner) to stop in and experience Fonda Lee's magic making session. Let her be the artist and you do the chin up, shoulders back walk around your world! Below you'll see what Fonda Lee has put together. Many thanks to this incredibly talented and wonderful woman for all that she does for Warren Todd, for her clients and now, you! Her products can be ordered online as well. Here you can view a few of our favorites from the Fonda Lee line of beauty or follow her on Facebook to remain up to date on her merchandise, colors and what she's using to make-over others. Below is a post by Fonda Lee. Below the phenomenal gift to all of us that she's offering is our little write up on the savings associated. Enjoy! We sure will and will be back, of course to write about it with photos!

Holiday Glamour! What’s in? What’s not?

We are going to put your best face forward for Holiday Beauty.

The Beauty Bar has holiday make up that is designed just for "you" and your make-up comfort zone.

 

From a fresh, glowing face to holiday glosses & lashes. You choose!

 

These are some of the looks that local holiday goers are wearing.

 

 

 

  

We have a special pricing treat! You can receive your photo ready, holiday make-up session with lashes for $55.00 when you mention Warren Todd! This is an offer too good to pass up and is available now through December 31^st.  

 

 

Just to put this into perspective: Fonda Lee charges, on a standard appointment or walk in for holiday ready makeup, $150.00 (that is roughly a $100.00 savings for Warren Todd followers and friends). Eyelashes alone are $25.00. We cannot stress enough how amazing Fonda Lee makes you feel and all we can say is Enjoy feeling your beauty best! Thank you so, very much Fonda Lee, once again, for your true generosity!

 

While we're at it, let's talk about what goes with a pretty face? Well, a little arm candy never hurt anyone. This one's for your arm candy's arm. We find these to be distinguished looking in a price point that is appealing. We agree with their Instagram description: "Minimalistic and unpretentious. A timeless classic." You can visit www.danielwellington.com to check them out.

And, if by chance, you are flying solo with a smile, we came across these recently and had to share. As a partial Mainer, Niki couldn't resist! You can visit www.blackdinahchocolatiers.com to learn more. We love the Maine movement in support of small business and this gives new meaning to supporting someone else as you support yourself. This company is based out of a small island in Maine (Isle au Haut) where they hand craft chocolates, using local, fair-trade ingredients. The good news is this small business ships!

We hope you are enjoying this fabulous Friday night!

Warmest wishes,

Niki & Trish

Ten Days of Holiday Gifting - Day Three

We are starting to feel like Oprah and Gail at this point and could do worse as the saying goes! One thing is for sure, we love gifting and laughing as do those wonderful women so in honor of a cheerful season, let's get to it!

Few things make a person (specifically, a woman) feel more put together than having their hair done. And, by done, we're not talking simply trimmed or half blow dried in an attempt to get out the door (children, anyone?). If the rest of you is disheveled, a good hair day makes it all alright. To simplify, whatever you have going on from the neck down (or possibly the face) is well hidden, any day of the week, with a well quaffed mop! On the other hand, if you are headed to an event, to have your photos taken or on a date for that matter, there is nothing worse than spending the better part of your night choosing the right dress, lipstick, nail polish and more only to walk out looking like the weather took a turn the minute you walked out your door.

The generous owners of the Air Bar in Palm Beach Gardens, FL (again, in our backyard) are offering $5.00 of every service when you mention Warren Todd at some point throughout your visit. They do a phenomenal job and you leave feeling fabulous. We've all heard about how it's best to let your hair go days without a solid washin'. Let them hook you up with a style that will last days and, as they say in Frozen,  "Let It Go"!

As for a gift idea of the day, here is one that again keeps right on giving. We stole this idea during our daily read from one of our favorite blogs, Nutrition Stripped. So, we must give credit, in advance, for posing on this one. However, if you know Niki, you know she's a fan of oriental rugs. We both enjoy a quality rug! There is just something so wonderful about adding style in the form of something flat that lies over the floor. It sounds so unglamorous, yet so very important if you are putting a room together and have the resources. Below is a yoga mat with an oriental vibe to it. We also liked this leather yoga mat carrier. We are fans of original material, but felt this was worth the share. Thank you to the author of Nutrition Stripped for being an original! So, in honor of beauty from the ground up and all it inspires in the world of yoga, here are our recommendations:

This leather yoga mat strap is temporarily out of stock, but think birthdays to go with the holiday yoga mat (www.scoutmob.com).

Here you can find the yoga mat (the "magic carpet yoga mat can be found at www.anthropoloie.com):

With that, we'll take a magic carpet ride and meet you back tomorrow for day four!

 

 

Warmest wishes!

 

Niki & Trish

 

Ten Days of Holiday Gifting - Day Two

Today, we are again excited to share our two cents and a fun little surprise in the world of gifting. Yes 'tis better to give than receive.

Yesterday, we introduced a line of gifts that keep right on giving (either to yourself or another). It was such fun to share about ALLITO (one of our favorite new companies). ALLITO is one of those companies that comes out of left field and all of the sudden, you realize what you've been craving in the "world" of home and personal style accessories. Yes, the pun was intended (for those of you who checked out the site).

Today, marks day two and we are so excited to be sharing about a company located in our backyard (they are in Jupiter, Fl). In the world of gifting, this store is a never fail! If you are a monogram freak (as we are), you MUST visit Initial Styles and, when you do, from now until January 5th, mention Warren Todd and receive 10% off your purchase. On a side note, as an event company, we must mention that this is a great place to stop for wedding and shower gifts as well! Ride that monogram wave; it never gets old or goes out of style!

Here are a few fun gems at which to take a gander.

They exclusively monogram the Malabar Bay line and, as you can see above, also sell the ever popular Sea La Vie bracelets (yes, another fabulous holiday find)! You can follow them on Facebook by clicking on the Sea La Vie link above.

In keeping with thoughts of the sea, we thought it appropriate to mention a gift that never fails. This company has been around for a while now and to us, never gets old. From where the mountains meet the sea to where the sun sparkles over the white topped waves as they collide onto the sand, Sea Bags has you covered. They've expanded to offer everything from catch all's to wine holders and more. However, we love the good ol', Maine made Sea Bags. What's better? You can clean them with dish washing detergent and a hose. Enough said!

For those vacationing over Christmas (perhaps even setting sail), unsure what to do about stockings, below is your answer! Just throw them in the bag below that, and your jet set or ready to sail away!

 
 

With that, we'll set sail until we anchor for more gifting tomorrow!

Best wishes!

Trish & Niki

10 Days of Holiday Gifting - Day 1

Today marks day one of our Ten days of Holiday gifting (Warren Todd recommendation style).

Each day we'll be posting gift ideas (and maybe a discount or two) in honor of the holidays. These will include a variety of price ranges, styles and use occasions, but we hope you'll find something throughout the days you'll enjoy! Happy gifting and as they say, 'tis better to give than receive'.

Here is a discount to take note of! ALLITO offers an amazing collection of pillows and handbags, hand woven by artisans around the globe! There isn't anything that we don't adore and, in many cases, gawk over!

Here are a few ALLITO images and be sure to visit www.allito.com to learn more and shop!

**** For the next 24 hours, you can receive 20% off all pillows by entering the code name Warren Todd****

This is one of those "take advantage now" deals. Everything is truly one of a kind and the authenticity behind helping those around the globe is real! In this case 'tis great to receive and give at the same time!

Our second recommendation for gifting comes in the form of a "faux" version of a fabulous piece of jewelery. Dior earings are showing up everywhere. One of the two of us dawns them on nights out, frequently and we thought, for those who are on a holiday budget, we'd throw in the knock off version to give you a fun little gifting option. This is a great gift exchange item as well!

The Dior earings can be seen here. Abovd is a pic (although extremely blurry for some reason):


The ETSY "faux" version can be found here.

Happy shopping and don't forget to take advantage of the generous ALLITO discount by entering that Warren Todd code!

Cheers!

Niki & Trish

Vision Beyond the Lens

We have a very special place in our hearts for the author of this post. He's genuine, a dedicated father and has an incredible way of capturing the moments that matter. He knows your best angle and the feeling behind it and you absolutely cannot go wrong by letting this talented photographer capture your special moments in time. What he does not mention in this post is the effort (both physical and emotional) rooted in his kind soul spent touching the lives of perfect strangers and those he knows best in an attempt to enhance their life in whatever manner possible. Even more intriguing and praise worthy, he has, as many of us dream to, genuinely made a difference. The lens might capture the moment, but it is what is behind that camera that captures the heart. Thank you, David for capturing memories never forgotten in all of our lives. Our hearts forever grateful.

 

In the words of David Scarola....

 

One day, I am going to create a book of the beautiful moments I have captured around Palm Beach County; sharing moments of human interaction in nature, and sharing nature, in moments of my artistic pursuit of it.  It is my goal to include stories and quotes in this book from Palm Beach County residents who really love where they live.  I envision these stories to be ones that will have as a constant underlying element the message of “I love where I live and who I live with.”  I guess, well, it seems to me, in musing about this future project, the messages of both the pictures and stories is: Beautiful place, beautiful person, beautiful people, wonderful moment, what a really great picture! What a beautiful story. Wow!

 

I really love Palm Beach County, specifically the places I know and love to photograph- which is a growing list.  Photography as an art and pursuit has helped me be more loving and far-reaching, I think.  Last year, while very actively working on my project Portraiture in Homelessness, I wrote about that- how photography has helped me open wider eyes to love and beauty; recently with my August 2014 travels to Nicaragua I experienced, pondered, and wrote about it again.

 

 

 

The re-creation of moments captured through this medium feels like art to me.  

Looking through my delightfully-awesome 135 mm Carl Zeiss lens, to name just one of my sweet lenses,  I see artistically and feel artistic.  With additional creative post-production tools being included in the re-creation of the moments captured in camera, I fall in, guaranteed, rather passionately and obsessively, to the art of what I do.

 

I am in the trade of re-creating moments; a silly way to say it, but I like it!  It’s a process, from capture to process to save, to print to frame to hang:  Capturing children playing in crashing waves, brides and grooms on their wedding days, homeless individuals watching time pass by, the sun slowly rising lighting a sailboats reflection on glassy water, or the chattering smiling curious faces of people enjoying events.  I have been obsessively taking pictures of both random and posed situations for about three years now.  Photographic pursuits have been interesting, exciting, and very challenging at times.  As I have stuck with it, the images have improved and my drive and obsession have grown, calling forth increasing numbers of beloved moments to capture.  My mantra has been, “learn to look, learn to see.”

Thank you so much, David for this heartfelt post. For more information on David's photography or to check out more from his gallery, visit www.davidscarolaphotography.com.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! What a special holiday!

Sincerely,

Niki & Trish

Tackling the Challenge and Achieving your Beauty Best - Contributor Fonda Lee

If you’ve read our posts about Fonda Lee (you can find them here and here), you know we think she is nothing short of fabulous inside and out. If you read our post from earlier this week written by contributor Cheryl Maeder, you’ll see that we appreciate artistic design. Fonda Lee is a true artist. Yes, she is philanthropic (beauty from the inside), yes she is a business woman who has built her business from the ground up (an entrepreneur of the first degree), however, importantly her artistry is nothing short of divine. She doesn’t just apply makeup or pattern facial colors, she paints a picture, specific to the person, specific to the need in a manner that only she can achieve. As Tracie Kreiger once put it “Fonda just makes you feel pretty”. We’ll get more into her make-up artistry specific to event, modeling needs or costume makeup, but for today she shares a relationship and project most personal and motivational to her. This is the Fonda Lee that everyone knows; the Fonda Lee that everyone loves. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her, you must stop by The Beauty Bar in Palm Beach Gardens, FL! It seemed only appropriate, having just highlighted Cheryl’s artistic ability to create an artistic moment, to follow up with Fonda Lee’s ability to do the same through make-up artistry.

 After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Sarah realized she wanted her challenge to go by un-noticed as possible to keep as close to her work and social schedule

Sara is not a big Make up wearer to start with. In showing her how to shade on eyebrows along with a few of the basics she was armed and ready to be her best, in and day out, along with the down days where she felt she needed to work even harder to tap into her inner beauty and some basic touches on the outside.

We also worked with soothing facial products to keep Sarah's skin looking hydrated and feeling refreshed. It always comes down to taking the time that it takes to tackle the challenge, whether) it be appearance, set-backs from Cancer treatments or looking your best for the Big meeting or interview.

Thank you, Fonda for sharing your experience. We look forward to your next post appropriate to the holidays! You can check out Fonda Lee’s website at www.fondaleebeauty.com and follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.comFonda-Lee-Beauty-Bar-Event-Boutique.

 

Have you have a "Fonda Lee Experience" or photos of you "post Fonda Lee". Please comment here or on the blog and we'd love to upload your pictures within one of her posts!

Rediscovering Barbie - Post by Contributor Cheryl Maeder

We are so honored to have Cheryl Maeder, a talent introduced a few posts back, blogging for us today. She is truly a gem of a person who's work always causes us to reflect, dream and remember how very important art, photography and object transformation truly are. Below is a perfect example of how she does just that. The world of marketing and event planning can be so broad that our blog commonly lends itself to posts about style, artistic creation and photography. What happens when you put them together and draw emotive response based on past memories and current opinion? Voila, you have an inspired work of art that only the one-of-a-kind Cheryl Maeder could present. She is capable of taking so many elements of art and creation and melding them into a single, powerfully inspired moment. Thank you, Cheryl for taking the time to share your work and stream of consciousness...

Rediscovering Barbie

 

As a child, growing up,  I was not into Barbie at all. I thought she was just a little too perfect for my tastes, a little too cute and girlie.   My next close encounter with Barbie came as an adult.  When my studio was located in San Francisco, I would weekend at my brother’s home in Los Gatos.  My niece Rory, who was ten at the time, would hold me hostage in her room.  She would take out her huge  collection of Barbie & Ken dolls.  I would reluctantly play Barbie with Rory, and find every excuse to try to leave her room. 

Which brings me to the present.  About a month ago, my friend, Julie Dungan Holdefehr, mentioned that she was going to her friend, Jeff Todd’s home, where he had this wonderful collection of retro Barbies.  I thought his collection of Barbies would be really great to photograph for my Suburbia Series so I asked to come along.

Jeff Todd is a former stylist for Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.  He now is a restorer of antiques and fine art in Palm Beach.

As we walked into his home and were greeted by several different variety of cats, I knew that the Barbie collection would be a great one.  Jeff pulled out boxes of retro Barbies and Ken’s.  I felt a natural infinity to the Barbies of the 60’s & 70’s. Jeff neatly took the Barbies out of their boxes, and of course,  Ken. As he gently lined them up along side each other, fixing their outfits every so carefully.  It was right there, that I fell in love with retro Barbie & her boyfriend Ken.  I took out my camera and began shooting.  At first,  I photographed the whole row of Barbies,  in their various outfits and hairdos, and then I photographed them each individually.  That is when each of the Barbies came alive to me. 

 

 

 

Ironically, I discovered, after my Barbie photoshoot, that the Norton Museum, was having an exhibition on Barbie!  It always amazes me how trends in art and design always recycle around.  It only becomes new, when the artist discovers and captures it,  in his or her own self expression.  That is Art.

 
 

Written by Cheryl Maeder, fine art photographer & designer of Gardenhouse.  www.gardenhousedecor.net  & www.maederphotography.com