Get The Best Looks For Spring!

Image courtesy of See-ming Lee

Alright, fashionistas. We're sure you're already out and about hunting for the cutest looks for spring, and so are we! If you're looking for something a little different for the upcoming season, try taking a look at some of San Diego inspired styles of these local designers. This article from sandiego.org has just a few of the faces of San Diego fashion you should be looking for on your next shopping trip. Take a look below!

San Diego is a city where one can easily get inspired! With desirable weather, cleanliness, pristine beaches, variety of activities, and an active lifestyle, it’s easy to imagine how all these qualities might translate for jewelry and fashion designers. These local fashion designers are just a few of what San Diego has to offer and are a force to be reckoned with.

Jennafer Grace

Jennafer Grace, a San Diego native and a graduate of Fashion Careers College, is known for her vintage inspired designs with a modern twist. Growing up in Pacific Beach with her glamorous modern grandmother, she was exposed to art and travel. Over time she translated this into her own designs. Jennafer’s designs are print-happy, casual-chic pieces that flow into various silhouettes. She is also known for her one-of-a-kind kimonos and head wraps. Her creative unique designs can be located at Chateau Bel Age Boutique, Le Bel Age Boutique, Bad Madge & Co., Swirl Boutique, among various other boutiques located throughout San Diego. Three words that best describe Jennafer Grace Designs are electric, bewitching, and wily.

> Find out more about Jennafer Grace

Moser Milburn Handbags

The fashion designers of Moser Milburn Handbags have been collaborating together for over 20 years. Both Deborah Moser and Kym Milburn are known for their craftsmanship of leather, suede, repurposed fur and exotic hides for both handbags and clothing. With fashion school, retail, pattern-making, and buying experience between the two of them they have learned to appreciate the quality of construction and fine materials. Living in San Diego allows the designers to spend countless time outdoors enjoying healthy activities that carries over into the simplicity of their designs. It was also important to have all handbags made in the USA. These gorgeous handbags and clutches can be found at Gerhard Boutique in addition to custom pieces that can be ordered. Three words that best describe Moser Milburn Handbags are elegant, classic, and luxurious.

> Find out more about Moser Milburn Handbags

Taboo Studio

The fashion designers and owners of Taboo Studio, Joanna Rhoades and Jane Groover, were both painting majors in college while studying metalsmithing under world-renowned jewelers, Arline Fisch and Helen Shirk. After completing their design graduate studies at San Diego State University they started their careers as teachers before deciding to open their own gallery showcasing their handmade, precious and semi-precious, crafted jewelry. Influenced by San Diego’s multi-faceted, diverse, and stunning city, their designs replicate just that. In addition to their own wearable art, their gallery exhibits superbly hand-crafted designs from many other San Diego artists, as well as artists throughout the country and well known international jewelers. The stunning pieces, including custom pieces, can be found at Taboo Studio, located at 1615 1/2 W. Lewis St. in Mission Hills. Three words that best describe the pieces at Taboo Studio are extraordinary, precious, and unique.

> Find out more about Taboo Studio

Coffee and Cats? What Could Possibly Be Better

Image courtesy of jxson

The rumor-mill has been working overtime concerning the Cat Cafe that opened up in early January in our beloved San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. This article from writer, Erin Jackson, at thrillist.com has the answers to all the questions we're sure you want to know. See you there!

1. It's not just gimmickry, it actually serves excellent coffee

Sure, The Cat Cafe could probably get away with slinging a mediocre brew — since, let’s face it: the cats are the main draw — but it doesn't. Espresso beans come from Cafe Virtuoso; drip beans come from West Coast Coffee Roasters. Drink prices are similar to other coffee shops, which again, generally have an alarming lack of cats. There’s also free Wi-Fi, which presumably goes largely towards cat videos.

2. Five cats live here, but more could be on the way

Right now, a quintet of felines have the run of the joint, but owner Tony Wang says he would like to have as many as 10 cats roaming the cafe. That’s five potential cats for each hand: a crazy cat lady (or man’s) paradise!

3. Despite being around so much caffeine, these cats are super chill

The Cat Cafe works in partnership with the San Diego Humane Society to find adoptable cats who will be comfortable in the cafe environment. The cats that are currently in the cafe range in age from nine months to three-years-old, and from friendly to... REALLY friendly! Check out their bios here.

4. You can take them home with you

Well, don't just like, walk out with one, but go through the proper channels and they can be yours. All of the cats have been spayed or neutered and are up to date on their vaccinations, which means if you fall in love with one of them, you can take him or her home (on the same day!). Adoption fees are the same as you’d pay at The Humane Society ($65 for adult cats; $95 for kittens). The adoption paperwork generally takes about 30 minutes, and checks are the preferred method of payment. When you take a cat home, you’ll also get a free box of goodies from PetBox.

5. If you want to just keep it casual, no judgments

Not ready to make a long-term commitment? That’s cool. These cats are totally okay with that! In fact, the only strings they’re interested in are the ones you dangle above their heads. Yes, we realize that's actually a feather in the photo, but there aren't enough feather-puns that also apply to relationships.

Love Your Color

Image courtesy of Boa-Franc

Changing the feel of your apartment can be as simple as playing the color-scheme in your place. So rather than going renovation crazy, you can simply update a few accessories by following the color coordination tips below, (courtesy of renters.apartments.com).

First thing to know are the 6 different types of color schemes; monochromatic, complementary, split-complementary, double-complementary, triad and analogous.

Second thing to know is the color wheel. They're all the same when you search them on Google Images.

Third thing to know is that red, blue and yellow are your primary colors while green, orange and purple are secondary. Everything else falls into place.

Monochromatic
If you can just remember that mono- is a prefix meaning "single" or "one" you'll be able to remember this one super easily. A monochromatic scheme is pretty much when you've taken your space and applied various hues or tints of the same shade. I think this idea works super well in a laundry room or bathroom; something you don't plan on changing for a while but want to have a nice feel and flavor in. I also say that the best way to pull off this scheme is to keep the walls either a cream, white or grey base color. Painting the ceiling a shade from this scale can really bring a nice pop without having an overdose of color.

Complementary
Everyone remembers complementary colors from their elementary art class. To make this scheme you pick one color from the color wheel and match it to the color directly across from it. Examples would be Christmas (red and green) or the University of Illinois (blue and orange.) My advice on this is to remember that your primary and secondary colors all come in so many different shades, and you really need to remember that. I struggled with only imagining bright orange and royal blue, which can look okay but is also a very bold jump if you've kept to basic colors the whole time. An idea to start this off in a very calm way is to pastel one of your colors and make the other be bold. Baby powder blue with bold orange? Pastel yellow with a rich plum? Yes and yes please.

Split-Complementary
This is where we're treading waters; in a split-complementary scheme you pick your base color you want to deal with, find it's complement and then use the two colors next to it on either side of the wheel. For example, if I chose a blue-green as my base color, my split-complement scheme would include blue-green, orange and red. Typically the farther down I'll go on this list the bolder your scheme will become, and split-complementary is no exception. My suggestion would be to take your base color as a wall coating, utilize one split color in the furniture and then the second as just a splash in either the curtains, rug or throws.

Double-Complementary
By definition a double-complementary scheme is "four colors arranged into two complementary color pairs." Chances are you'll never perfect this in a way you'll love (unless you're a BIG risk taker.) The best way I can help you visualize this is with a teenage girls room; teal and red-orange (burnt orange) paired with yellow-green and a red-violet (deep pink.) This scheme is super hard to harmonize correctly but can be done well in an apartment, as it actually allows for you to pick a bunch of colors to have in maybe a bed spread or in a kitchen, especially if you have neutral walls.

Triad
This one's simple to remember, the prefix tri- means "three." Three colors on the wheel that are equally spaced from each other will create this funky theme. Easily enough this combo could just as easily be your primary or secondary colors just grouped together as normal. This example is the featured image of this post, which I stumbled upon during my class and fell in love with.

Analogous
Last but not least we have analogous, which is simply just colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. One of the most popular choices of this scheme tends to be usage of your blues, greens and yellow-greens. However, with the way the wheel works this is your best choice if you want a little variety, but something not quite as bold of funky as the above mentioned.

Bust Bad Decor Habits

Image courtesy of Stacie

Feeling at home in your San Diego apartment is all about the personality you put into your home. Though it doesn't seem like it should make a big difference, the care and consideration you take in your decorations can make a lasting impact on how much time you spend in your abode.

In order to get the most out of your decor, take a look at this advice from writer, Adrienne Breaux, from Apartment Therapy. She breaks down some of the most common bad habits renters succumb to that forces their decor to suffer. Do you struggle with any of these bad habits?

1. You aren't considering "home stuff" in your budget

No I don't mean you're not budgeting for utility bills and other emergency things — that's stuff many of us have been trained to consider when working on our budgets. What we're talking about is not considering how much money you want to invest into making your home better. Considering making room in your budget for these kinds of expenditures (whether decorative or functional, like storage solutions) ahead of time means you're thinking about it — and that will help those who tend to go a little overboard control their spending better and those who tend to be a little too tight-fisted make sure they meet design goals (by allowing themselves to splurge on decor from time-to-time).

2. You're not getting creative and thinking outside of the box

Before you buy anything and most especially before you buy anything that kind of works but not quite how you would like it to, ask yourself whether or not you can DIY something better or get a little weird and creative to fit exactly what you're looking for. It's about taking a moment (or three) to consider alternatives — not just jumping on the first/easiest/same as you always choose solutions that come to mind. Allowing yourself and your creativity to expand a bit in all directions, design choice by design choice, will make a marked difference on your home in the long run.

3. You're trying to be like someone else

One of the biggest compliments you can get about your home is for someone to walk in and say "this looks like you," because that means you're expressing your true likes and dislikes and crafting a home that fits your personality. The benefit of a home like this? Not only will it be completely unique, but it'll be ultra peaceful and recharging — you'll find untold wells of strength in a space you don't have to pretend to be someone else in.

4. You're holding on to furniture and decor that no longer serves you

This can be a tough one because like, who out there is made of money and can throw away perfectly decent furniture? We're not saying throw it away though. But don't hold on to it if it just doesn't work for you, either. Sell furniture that you no longer like, even if you don't have something else you want to replace that hole with. Leaving a spot blank in your home will allow yourself to be open to whatever new and wonderful thing has been waiting to find its way home to your home. Trade furniture with friends if you both have matching needs met by the other person's stuff. Or hack and saw away at furniture pieces, stripping them of their former styles and functions, to reshape them into powerful symbols of the new look you want to project with your home. The very last thing you want to do is live intimately with a piece of furniture that just only makes you go "meh."

5. You're not shaking up your style enough/often

Make no mistake — "shaking up your style" doesn't have to mean wallpapering your ceiling or painting the baseboards red. We've all got our own definitions of what "wild" is. And wild isn't even what we're saying you should go for. What you should aim to do is push yourself — stagnant spaces don't just suck, they suck the energy out of your home a little bit each day. Finding the places that you let fear hold you back or cling to comfort too tightly can help you bust through any self-imposed limitations to find new looks, colors, functions, storage solutions, styles and more that make your life infinitely better.