Good Measure: The Must Have Bangle

Just when I thought I was finishing up my fall fashion must haves, I found something I just could not leave unmentioned. The Peace Bomb Bangle from Article 22.

Peace Bomb Bangle

I was lucky enough to pay a rare Marin Co. visit to Half Hitch Goods, the impeccably curated roving store on wheels owned and operated by Carrie Caillouette.  Carrie thoughtfully selects items that are expertly crafted, inspire the spirit of giving, and share rich and meaningful stories. Half Hitch Goods is my favorite place to find rare and unique gifts.

Half Hitch Goods + Carrie Caillouette

Carrie not only puts together displays that please the eye, but she can tell you an incredible story about each and every piece she carries in the shop. I picked up a few things from Carrie on this visit and I'll share more with you on Wednesday, but for now, let me tell you the story of the Peace Bomb Bangle.

The U.S. dropped over 250 million bombs on Laos during the Vietnam War. Many of these bombs did not detonate and continue to pose a threat to Laotian farming practices and way of life. The Mines Advisory Group works tirelessly to collect the undetonated bombs and now passes the metal on to local villagers who have resourcefully created a technique to melt and cast the metal. Article 22 works with the villagers, who are paid 4x the local rate, to design accessories that can be sold in a competitive market to help further support their community.

The Peace Bomb Bangle I purchased at Half Hitch Goods is one of many designs available from Article 22. I was drawn to it before I heard the story and when Carrie shared the meaning behind the piece I knew it was something I wanted to wear.

Bangles are a great accessory to invest in this season, whether you stack them, go big and bold, or keep it simple like I have decided to do with one really meaningful and impactful piece.

xoxo

Lisa


Original photography, art direction + styling for Zelma Rose by Lisa Anderson Shaffer

4 the Record: Michael Jackson Thriller

It had to be done. This album!!! What is there to say really? An epic album in my life and the first time I really remember being a full fledged fan of anything or anyone. Michael was the man and Thriller from start to finish is still amazing. Human Nature takes the cake for me, but Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' deserves some praise and is a kick ass way to start an album. As if the music weren't enough, let's talk about this white suit Michael? Silk leopard pocket square. Yes to that. This white + black outfit could easily be worn today and if you are familiar with the actual album, (ya know the LP) then you also remember the inside image with the baby tiger.  Classic. Here's to you MJ.

Lipstick | Leather Jacket | Gloves | Shoes | Thriller | Blanket | Clutch | Pants | Belt

So what's your favorite Thriller song?

Happy Weekend!

xoxo

Lisa

In the Know: PicMonkey Where Photoshop + Illustrator Makeout

I love photography! And good thing, because as a maker + a blogger I rely heavily on images to help communicate the story of my brand.  You've heard me talk a great deal about Instagram, click here for my tips to drop some serious science on your IG game,  and you know I'm always on the look out for how to push the envelope when it comes to photo styling for Zelma Rose. There are so many things to explore in the realm of photography and as a maker + blogger the list of uses is quite long. I use images for everything from communicating product and designs, to advertisements, coupon codes, and interviews. I love a good editing tool and for years was relying mostly on a combination of Photoshop + Illustrator to edit and create photos for ZR. These are great tools and I highly recommend them for upping your photography game. But, I've discovered something even better and can't stop talking about it! Enter PicMonkey, pretty much the most perfect photo editing tool around! And it's free!  Want to learn more? Sign up for my PicMonkey class September 30th at Makeshift Society for a full on tutorial of how to make the most of this amazing tool. 

Click here to sign up!

So how do I know so much about PicMonkey? Well, if you are a friend and follower of ZR, you see me using PicMonkey everyday. I used it to make the super cute graphic above, I use it to create the collages on the Blog, and to make on the fly Look Books and special promotions and in store displays for my stockists. I think of PicMonkey as your business and blogging secret weapon. It allows you to quickly create professional looking graphics and photos on the fly. While we all need to get professional help in the graphics and photography departments, PicMonkey allows all soloprenuers out there to pull together some amazing results on our own. Here are some of my favorite images that I have created all with this free wonder tool!

Father's Day Gift Guide Using PicMonkey Collage

San Francisco Pride Promotion created with PicMonkey Collage

4 the Record Created with PicMonkey Collage

Urban Outfitters PicMonkey Collage Using Text and Color

If you want to learn more, head on over to Makeshift Society and sign up for my class. We will cover how to create collages, images with text, look books, and promotions. It's a great way to get started and explore all the amazing things you can do with PicMonkey.  Comment below with your questions and let me know if you are interested in me adding a few tutorials to the blog.

See you in class!

xoxo

Lisa

Good Measure: Must Have Fall Hat

I love a good hat and this season I'm in luck. Hats of all kinds on are trend for fall from rich and structured felt fedoras to warm and chunky knit beanies.  Out here in NorCal, even during the rainy months we get a good deal of sun, so this fall I wanted to buy a few good brimmed hats, to not only scare off the chill, but also provide a little needed sun protection.

Moorea Seal Hat | Zelma Rose Hat Band

I searched around for a while and finally decided on a few very reasonably priced wide brimmed felt hats from Moorea Seal. This dark grey one has quickly become my favorite and without hesitation, I designed a Zelma Rose hat band to add a bit of mountain style to my brim.

Moorea Seal Hat | Zelma Rose Hat Band

Finding the right hat can be a challenge, but at around $30 a hat, these beauties from Moorea Seal can't be beat and leave you with a little left over to dress your brim!

Moorea Seal Hats | Zelma Rose Hat Band

Check in later this month for a fun DIY to turn your felt hat into a stand out fall accessory. 

Happy hat hunting!!

xoxo

Lisa

DIY COFFEE CAN CACTUS

Create this simple and stylish cactus + succulent arrangement with regular ol' coffee cans.

20 Minutes
Coffee Cans of various sizes (I like Safeway)
Potting Soil
Gathered Stones or Stone Ground Cover
Cacti + Succulents of various shape and size

Succulents and cacti make great indoor plants and are a lovely way to bring some green indoors during the fall and winter months. We are a big fan of them out west, as they require very little water and nearly no maintenance. In fact we don't even water ours, we just mist them with a spray bottle about once a week and they seem to stay happy. I love finding new ways to pot plants and when grocery shopping the other day I had kind of a brainstorm...why not pot my succulents in some coffee cans? I love the modern and uniform look to a coffee can, and without having to really water them, metal makes for a fine home for these lovely little guys. 

To get started you will need an assortment of coffee cans, potting soil, stones, and an variety of succulents. Outside of the coffee cans, you will be able to get plants, soil, and stones at your local nursery or home improvement store. 

To get started, find a large space to work, a potting table is great, but let's get real, ant flat space outside works just fine. Pull the labels off the coffee cans. The Safeway labels are plastic and should remove easily. Remove the coffee from the cans, and either save to use as coffee, or place in your compost bin. Either way it smells amazing!

Next, add soil to the coffee cans. You will want to go up about 3/4 or so. Enough to keep those gorgeous succulents happy. Then take your succulents out of their pots and arrange in your coffee can. I like to use the taller plants in the back and surround them with shorter ones moving forward and around the sides. Place some soil around your plants and close to the base. Then mist or very lightly water your arrangement. I like to do this before I add the stones. Last, place stones over the soil and under the succulent leaves. This really adds a polished look to your arrangement.

And there you have it! A beautiful and modern way to add a little green to your home.  The Coffee Can Cactus makes a great hostess gift and will be just the thing to give your friends and neighbors this holiday season. Give it a try and let me know your results!

Happy Weekend!

xoxo

Lisa

From the Studio: Zelma Rose Named Martha Stewart American Made Finalist!

So there I am at my desk Monday morning scanning through my spam when what do I see but an email from Martha Stewart American Made. I nearly missed it!  Congrats, it says, Zelma Rose has been chosen by Martha and her esteemed panel of 16 judges as a finalist!

Zelma Rose Finalist Page at American Made

Here's where I need your help! Voting started Monday September 15th, and after being a finalist for the third year in a row, I think it's time I get to meet Ms. Martha face to face, don't you?! So let's get out the vote and send me to NYC to meet Martha! All you have to do is click here. You can vote up to 6 times a day everyday through October 13th. Martha and her team will announce 10 winners in October. So keep your fingers crossed and head on over to my profile and vote! It has been with all your love and support that ZR is the business she is today, let's take this thing to the next level and send me to NYC! 

Martha likes me! She really, really likes me! If you are a friend and follower of ZR then you already know about my obsession with Martha Stewart. You can read more about my love of this big bad ass business woman here. As you can imagine this is all pretty exciting. Of course I'd love to win this thing! There's some great prizes like $10,000 for my business, and a bunch of opportunities to partner with Martha Stewart Living. So yeah it would be great for ZR! Plus, I would love the extra visible platform to talk about Zelma Rose's commitment to supporting mental health services for our Veterans through organizations like The Wounded Warrior Project.  So spread the word and cast your vote! I can't do it without your support.

Go ZR go!!

xoxo

Lisa

Good Measure: How to Tie a Bow Tie

This past weekend while working at Brit + Co Re:Make, I got to speak with a lot of you in person. The Men's Collection always does well at shows and I love seeing what patterns you are drawn to and how you mix and match your neck wear and pocket squares. Everyone has their own unique style and I absolutely LOVE that!

There is never a time when I am in person that I am not asked to give a demonstration on how to tie a bow tie. Makes sense right?! I spend a lot of my time tying bow ties around the necks of some pretty spectacular people and I am always happy to share my tips for tying the perfect knot. When I cannot show my knot tying skills in person, I like to send customers a few video links to some of my favorite demos. I'm currently storyboarding a Zelma Rose How to Tie a Bow Tie video...I'm just looking for the right director and crew...any ideas? Until then, I thought I would share some of my favorite How to Tie a Bow Tie videos all in one place.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Lisa

4 the Record: Joni Mitchell Blue

What to say about this album?! One of Rolling Stone's top 500 of all time, an epic and moody journey into the musical and lyrical genius that is Joni Mitchell. I first heard Blue in college, which seems so late to me now. I bought it on a solo trip to the record store one afternoon and knew about 10 seconds into All I Want that this would be an album I would listen to for the rest of my life. I get to share it with my daughter now and we often sing Blue at bedtime. The highs and lows are a bit of a struggle lyrically for the rest of us Joni, but I think that's what leaves us so in awe. The deep soulful lyrics and your soaring voice reminding us that music is indeed something that lives in our hearts.

Blanket | Hand Dyed Bow Tie | Dress | Rain Jacket | Joni Mitchell Blue | Bag | Hand Dyed Painting | Chukka Boot | Skirt

As always click on the links below the photos to find out more about my "Blue" picks.

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Lisa

The Homestead: Pillow Talk

Home Decor Remix with Personalized Pillows 

This post is sponsored by Tiny Prints. Thanks for supporting this partnership! All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

An interior design friend once told me, "You can change it all with a pillow." She was right and ever since I have been on the hunt for the perfect pillow. Luckily my laid back, modern, boho style has remained true through the years and the furniture I fall in love with stays with us until the bitter end. With our most recent move and remodel, we did spring for a few new replacement pieces, but other than that everything else has traveled with us from North Beach condo, to Noe Valley Victorian and now the Fairfax mountains. When things with the remodel, okay part of the remodel, finally settled, I was on the look out for some stylish and unique ways to put a little spin on our old favorites and pillows seemed just the thing. 

Pillows can have a huge impact on the style and design of a room. Color, pattern, and texture all play a part in bringing a room from traditional to modern, and minimal to eclectic. As always, I had a few requirements when it came to adding a little spice to the homestead. One, I did not want to spend a fortune. I'm all for investing in home decor. You all know how I feel about mid century chairs! However these days with a couple of dogs, a toddler, and life generally being lived outdoors I needed something that wouldn't break my heart if if came face to face with a muddy dog. Second, I wanted something personal. My daughter is big into story telling these days and likes to know where things come from. Adding something personal and custom that had a story just felt right.

After some searching, I finally decided on creating a collection of custom, personalized pillows over at Tiny Prints. They just launched a new home decor collection that allows you to take your own photographs and print them on a number of fresh and modern designs. I picked a few of my favorites and I'm so happy with the results. 

I have to say I was very impressed with the quality of the printing. I'm super picky when it comes to this! The color must be perfect! I chose a number of my own photos of natural objects found around our home, as well as a beloved landmark and everything translated beautifully to the fabric. 

You can see I already lost the Bold Crossing monogram pillow to Sherman. He kind of insisted, and who could blame him?

xoxo

Lisa

Original photography, art direction + styling for Zelma Rose by Lisa Anderson Shaffer

This post is sponsored by Tiny Prints. Thanks for supporting this partnership! All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Good Measure: Pattern Play

My mom surprised me with the perfect gift the other day. I love post cards and I love pattern, so the new collection of postcards named Pattern Box pretty much made my day.  The beautiful box, as you can see below contains a curated collection by the Textile Arts Center of 100 postcards from 10 favorite designers.

I often talk about mixing it up in terms of pattern and style when it comes to your closet, but the same goes for home decor. While a little pattern can go a long way, when it's done right, pattern play wins every time.

You will be seeing these cards pop up in product photography and style photo shoots for Zelma Rose. They have been officially added to my beloved postcard collection and I can't wait to create some new vignettes alongside my designs.

First on my list though is choosing a small collection to frame in my studio. I'm definitely having a hard time, so if you see any favorites in the bunch give them a shout out!

xoxo

Lisa


Original photography, art direction + styling for Zelma Rose by Lisa Anderson Shaffer

4 the Record: REM Green

If you have been following my 4 the Record posts lately it looks like I don't listen to anything past 1995. Sometimes that's true, but mostly I just go with what I'm feeling at the time. I heard the song Stand in the car earlier in the week and was reminded how much I don't particularly like that song, but also how much I love the album it's on. Green was one of the first records, that's right, records, that I remember buying myself. It's both sad and sweet, poppy and deep. When I first heard You Are the Everything I was sure that no greater love song could ever exist. Turns out they do, but many songs on this album still fill me with memories and good feelings and there is nothing wrong with revisiting that.

Pullover Dress | Men's Dress Shirt | Knit Hat | Vans Slip-on | REM Green |
Cropped Sweatshirt | Envelope Clutch | Hand Dyed Bow Tie | Skirt

What will you be listening to this weekend?

xoxo

Lisa

The Homestead: Urban Outfitters is Killin' It

As you know I am always on the lookout for creative and beautiful ways to spruce up the old, or in our case new, homestead. No matter the new addition my requirements remain the same, it must be beautiful design, livable, and match my laid back, modern NorCal style. If you have been scrolling around on Pinterest lately you may have noticed some exciting things going on over at Urban Outfitters. Quite simply they are killing it with the styled home decor photo shoots. I love the combination of creative and livable style. It all has a young vibe, but is something all of us can incorporate into our homes. When it comes down to it, I dig on the spirit, UO! I pulled together some of my favorite pieces from their Apartment collections all while dreaming about seeing them in my very non-apartment mountain home. 

Genius move with the Marshall amp. I would have been doing this for years if I had thought of it. At the top of my must make it happen list.

Bohem Duvet

Media Stand | Chair | Pillow

I love the mix of mid century and western style. Perfect and perfectly livable. 

Blanket | Sofa | Pillow

Textures and pattern rule here. The key is to focus on a color to tie it all in. Here black and brown unite the pattern play.  

Rug | Coffee Table

The perfect combo of soft natural woven fibers with some good old industrial metal. Always a hit.

What has you inspired?

xoxo

Lisa

All photography courtesy of Urban Outfitters