Pure white

silver cuff - sleeveless waistcoat - casio watch - Alexander Wang shoes - track trousers

Wide leg trousers - coral blouse - silver shoes - Armani Privè shell clutch

 

Lace dress - envelope clutch- flower earrings - Alexander Wang fish shoes

White make us look fat! How many times have we heard it? For those who defy the hated warning, today I put together three different looks for spring to highlight the versatility of this color: it can be romantic in the form of a lace dress or sharp in the form of a clean but strong design.  Whatever your style do wear white, just choose a cloth you feel comfortable in.

Il bianco ingrossa! Quante volte l'abbiamo sentito dire? Per coloro che se la sentono di sfidare il temuto monito oggi vi propongo tre look che mettono in risalto la versatilità di questo colore che può essere sinonimo di delicatezza sottoforma di un leggero abito in pizzo o di essenzialità attraverso le linee di un design deciso e minimale. Qualunque sia il vostro stile non rinunciate al bianco scegliendo un capo che metta in luce i vostri punti di forza.

Fun Facts about Dogs

Let's talk about the top twelve fun science facts that surround dogs, the most loyal and the most reliable pet companions for people.

Here are the twelve facts that you must know about your furry domestic pet:

1. There are a total of roughly around four hundred million dogs and hundreds of different dog breeds in the world.

2. Dogs can perform many tasks to assist humans. They can guard, hunt, do farm work, and aid people with disabilities. They can help the blind. They can also be trained to compete in breed shows which display their amazing agility. There are obedience contests, sled pulling, and racing that are meant for dogs.

3. The domestication of dogs, which naturally live in the wild, happened around 15,000 years ago.

4. Dogs have the same digestive systems as wolves and foxes - their counterparts in the wild. Thus, you are making it hard for them to digest pellet-based, plant-based, and processed dog foods. Dogs are meant to subsist on raw meat and bones.

5. Domestic dogs may eat plant-based foods, but it is not necessarily good for them. Foods that are plant-based will tax their pancreas and shorten their life spans.

6. Dogs have a spectacular sense of smell. They can differentiate odors in concentrations of around 100 million times lower than what humans can!

7. The hearing of dogs is also much more superior to that of humans. They can hear sounds at four times the distance!

8. According to the number of registered ownership, the most popular dog breed in the world is the Labrador. They are usually used as guide dogs and as police dogs. Labradors are extremely intelligent, obedient, gentle, and tireless.

9. Dogs live up to ten to fourteen years. They live longer if they are fed with unprocessed and uncooked meat and bones.

10. Dog breeders call young dogs less than one year of age as "puppies," a group of dog offspring as "litter," male dogs as "dogs," and female dogs as "bitches."

11. Dogs tend to pant a lot because they don't have any sweat glands on their body. Their sweat glands are only at their paws!

12. Dogs have a total of three eyelids. The third lid is called a nictitating membrane or haw; it keeps their eyes protected and fully lubricated.

Get the latest science scoop and trivia, plus fun facts and games, to enrich your mind. How to make science fun is easy! Visit Easy Science Fun.

Animals And Penumbra

Our April issue of Penumbra--with our animal theme--is now available!  In addition to the stories  by writers Andrew Kaye, Stuart Barton, Bruce Golden (Penumbra's first multi-contracted author), Laurie Tom, Brenda Kazar, and John Moran, this month boasts poetry from Amy Watkins and an amazing feature story, Love Gaia, Live Green by author Lyn CA Gardner.

We are also featuring an interview with Duncton Wood author William Horwood, as well as our regular monthly features from columnists Lori Basiewicz and Richard C. White.

Don't forget, too, that you can not only purchase Penumbra issues separately, but that we are also offering subscriptions on our website.

And next month is our eagerly awaited Fractured Fairy Tales issue--you won't want to miss that.

All things floral

s/s 2012 florals

A few years ago I wouldn't dare to wear floral prints. They screamed tapestry to me and I didn't want to look like a sofa. When I first saw Celine's s/S 2012 floral outfit (the first on the left in the picture above) I thought it was definitely over the top but little by little, watching it again an editorial after another that abundance of flower print ipnotized me. Today's trend is more for mixing prints more than matching them but I like how the top matches pants. So bottom line, I embraced floral prints and I made the top above that is maybe the first piece of a set. To DIY a peplum top follow the peplum skirt diy tutorial. Kristen of Glitter and Glue also found a clever way to create a peplum top by cutting out a flared dress. You can find floral print fabrics here or here, light weighted upholstery fabric can also be a cheaper option. Are you into floral prints yet? If not see if the pictures below inspires you.

Oggi "fare tappezzeria" potrebbe non essere più così disdiscevole vista la popolarità delle stampe floreali. Fantasie vistose non c'è che dire che oggi però smettono di richiamare alla mente tende e sofà per comparire trionfalmente sugli editoriali delle riviste più famose. La prima volta che vidi il total look floreale firmato Celine (il primo a sinistra nella foto qui in alto) ho pensato che fosse decisamente eccessivo ma poi poco a poco questa esplosione floreale mi ha conquistato. Anche se la tendenza più diffusa è quella di abbinare stampe diverse fra loro apprezzo la scelta di continuità tra il top e il pantalone. Oggi comincio anch'io a tappezzare il mio guardaroba di tappezzeria con questo top a tulipano. Potrete realizzarne uno anche voi seguendo lo stesso tutorial per realizzare la gonna a tulipano. Kristen, autrice di Glitter and Glue ha trovato un metodo veloce per ottenere un top a tulipano semplicemente tagliando un abito svasato. Potete trovare della stoffa con stampe floreali qui e qui.

A voi piacciono le stampe floreali? Se la risposta è no le foto di seguito vi faranno cambiare idea.

Zara floral blazer

Prabal Gurund spring 2012

floral nails via nail corner

via teen.com

Chris Benz Spring 2012 floral sneakers via teen vogue

Peplum top inspiration

pink waist coat - tribal peplum - open sleeves top - cat print peplum - shirt top

Lace top Warehouse - Cut out top - Longer back top Celine

Here's for you some ideas to craft a peplum top with the same technique used to DIY a peplum skirt. As you can see options are endless. Your top can be dressy if you upgrade a classic shirt or use lace or become more casual with a printed fabric like George's cat print top (that I'll try not to buy). Peplums can also be added to a waist coat or make a dramatic top with a tail at the back like Celine suggests.

Ecco qualche idea per realizzare un top a tulipano con la stessa tecnica che vi ho illustrato per realizzare la gonna a tulipano. Aggiungendo un volant potete rendere elegante una classica camicia bianca. Scegliendo invece una stoffa con una stampa vivace potrete realizzare un top casual e divertente proprio come quello di George con la stampa con i gattini. Potete aggiungere un volant perfino ad un gilet oppure realizzare un top veramente elegante con tanto di coda come quello disegnato da Celine.

The Peplum skirt DIY

Peplum skirt DIY Tutorial

The peplum skirt on s/s 2012 runways via howtobetrendy

Today I would like to show you how make a peplum skirt. We'll transform a classic pencil skirt into an up-to-date super feminine peplum. This retro look will enhance your curves creating the illusion of a smaller waist and wider hips. Peplums are very popular right now in every form, this tutorial can also be used to make peplum tops and dresses.



Oggi vi mostrerò come realizzare una gonna a tulipano. Trasformeremo la classica gonna dritta in una  più femminile e alla moda. L'aggiunta del volant vi donerà l'effetto di una vita più stretta e di fianchi più generosi. Il look tulipano è oggi molto popolare, questo tutorial può essere utilizzato anche per aggiungere volant a top o vestiti.

Con un metro da sarta misurate la vita della gonna

I cut the circle at the back because my zipper was there, you can cut it at one side if your zipper is there.

Dividete il numero per 6.28 ottenendo così la misura del raggio R. Disegnate una circonferenza di raggio R. Aggiungete 20 cm ad R e disegnate un'altra circonferenza concentrica. Ritagliate il cerchio di stoffa.

Starting from the center pin the circle on the skirt. Make sure the open side goes close to the zipper so you can still use it. When everything is ok sew the peplum onto the skirt.

Cominciando dal centro appuntate la stoffa sulla gonna con degli spilli. Tagliate la stoffa in corrispondenza della zip. Potrete così continuare ad usarla senza problemi. Infine cucite la stoffa sulla gonna. Voilà!

Doily lace skirt DIY

Lace skirt DIY - flower hair pins H&M - brass flower comb H&M -

The inspiration s/s 2012 collections from left: Vuitton - Erdem - Preen - Oscar de la Renta -  pic via Fashionologie

If you flip through the pages of a fashion magazine in these days you may have noticed there's a lot of lace going on. I couldn't resist this super feminine trend so today I'll show you how I made my own lace skirt. You'll need

• a skirt 
• lace trim (sold in yards)

I chose to apply white lace onto a pink skirt to exalt it. Doesn't this skirt look like made of sugar?
Follow me after the jump for the tutorial.

Sfogliando le riviste di moda in questi giorni avrete notato l'onnipresenza del pizzo! Chi può resistere ad un look così femminile? Oggi vi mostrerò come ho realizzato la mia nuova gonna in pizzo. Vi serviranno:

• una gonna
• una striscia di pizzo a metraggio

Scegliete il pizzo di un colore diverso dalla gonna per metterlo in evidenza.

Seguitemi per il tutorial.

 

I chose to use a wide lace trim and I found it in a lace curtain with repeated design.

Ho deciso di utilizzare una striscia in pizzo alta e ben visibile e l'ho trovata in una tenda con un motivo ripetitivo

 

I cut the curtain into bands

Ho ricavato le striscie ritagliando la tenda.

 

I then pinned the lace band onto the skirt. You can now make a straight seam to sew the lace on the skirt.

Appuntate con degli spilli la striscia in pizzo sulla gonna e poi eseguite una cucitura per fissarlo.

 

Repeat the process until the skirt is fully covered. 

Ripetete il procedimento fino a ricoprire completamente la gonna.

now finished.