Blog by Lyra Pappin

The sun might not be shining but that doesn’t mean your creative spirit can’t be out in full bloom. Whether you want to engage your children in some artistic exercise or simply relax in your home, these easy crafts are sure to brighten even the gloomiest day.

Create-a-Candle

Candles quite literally brighten up your home. Making your own candles is a simple and environmentally friendly activity... Read more

• Category:
• Tips, Tutorials & DIYs

Friends, Romans, countrymen (and women), lend me your feet. Whether you are willing to face it or not, a revolution is afoot. Literally. A storming fury of foul footwear has swept the nation and these plastic pedial pockmarks must be stopped! I speak of the bewilderingly ubiquitous Croc.

Crocs have equally fervent supporters and haters, including a website dedicated to bringing Crocs down –... Read more

• Category:
• Fashion & Style

You might not know much about Blake Lively, but there is a lot of dirt about her character Serena van der Woodsen to share! Blake is portraying the blonde “is she good or bad” character on the latest teen-drama hit Gossip Girl.

The CW drama is based on a series of novels written by Cecily von Ziegesar and focuses on the lives of rich kids from the Upper East Side of New York City. While the jury is... Read more

• Category:
• Trend Spotting

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why a particular piece of art elicits an emotional response. There are endless combinations of images, shapes, and forms that can comprise creative output, but one thing they share in common is the use of color, or the absence of color, in the case of black and white works.

Color psychology offers an explanation about how we respond to art by delving deeper into what the eye... Read more

• Category:
• Art & Photography

Designer clothes are not for the weak at heart, nor for weak wallets. When it comes to fashion, there are certainly no shortages of ways to spend money, but where does all this money go? Is it all about cache, or is there truly something special about the designer garments that justify their high cost?

Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to fashion. I myself have had $300 jeans fall... Read more

• Category:
• Fashion & Style

Fashion is known for its fickle nature. New looks, accessories and “must haves” dominate each season and trickle down from runways to shopping malls to our closets. The urge to be stylish and have the most current look is hard to avoid. We are constantly facing a barrage of pretty faces and fun outfits on TV, magazines, and ads, which just feed the beauty beast!

Although little modifications are made... Read more

• Category:
• Fashion & Style