Hello Y’all! It finally feels like Fall right now…54 °F at last!! The question I ask right now is whether it will stay this way because in Texas, you just can’t ever tell 😀 😀 Anyways I hope your week has kicked off to an amazing start and you ‘kinda’ have your ducks together at least (rows and lines are for the ‘perfect in heart’ LOL). Its been a minute since my last post and I have to admit; its been a lot of long hours juggling work and family but so worth it.

There’s just something about the last quarter of the year that I absolutely love. The holidays start rolling by one after the other. All the craziness starts to wind down but for some, that’s when things actually start to get really busy.

The Big Reveal!!

I have been working on a project that’s very dear to my heart for a while now. Its a passion that I’ve had all my life; something I have always wanted to do for many years now and finally having the courage and discipline to embark on. My goal is to share this with y’all in the coming months and I – just – cannot – wait! And yes, I am literally doing my happy dance as I type! 😀 😀

So please stay tuned for more from Periwinkle Starr and thank you to all who read, like, comment and follow this blog from all over the world – I still have to pinch myself every time I say this – Y’all are amazing!! Enjoy the rest of your week, have fun and be safe!!

Periwinkle Starr

Hello Y’all! I can’t believe its the middle of June already My mind goes back to scary movie 3 (I think it was) where the guy is screaming ‘Nooo!!, with both hands in the air while he’s left behind with that weird dude with yucky fingers and I can’t stop laughing because that’s exactly how I feel about this year running by too fast.

Thank you for all the comments and personal messages on the last post. They meant a lot and I may do a part two on that topic in the near future but this time, my focus might be on progress we’ve made so far – in training ourselves to run in the right direction in all areas of our lives! 😀

Over the last couple of years, we as designers have seen an increase in the need for pet friendly housing projects here in North Texas. The demand has gone up 26 percent especially among the millennial generation. Its so high that our multi-family housing clients require us to have dog parks, wash and groom stations as a vital part of our marketing package which wasn’t the case just a few years ago. In my mind, this is such a positive change that speaks volumes to how we as people have evolved.

But I find that the term ‘pet’ means different things to different people 🙂 What comes to mind when you think of a pet would be a dog, cat, maybe a cute pig, birds, rocks or pebbles (I was perturbed when i heard about having rocks and pebbles as pets but its true). For others, they might go the exotic route by owning a pet that can eat them up just because they forgot to latch a cage door OR the ‘wild animal’ just happened to break free after studiously watching them lock and unlock that cage door a zillion times…ha ha.

I was having lunch with friends a few days back, the conversation turned to pets. Everyone had stories to tell of the good, the bad and the oh so frustrating experiences of past and presently owned pets coupled with the effort plus the responsibility needed to keep them healthy and active as long as we could. There was no denying the fact that the benefits far outweigh the discomfort. Its said that pet owners are happier, they appear to be more active and to an extent less stressed than the rest of the populace 😀 😀 which I think is true. I’m by no means implying that this is the green light to visit the pound and grab the first thing that barks at you just because you can but knowing that animals possess personality traits unique to their breed.  If you happen to work long hours and are out on the weekends or gone for days on end; shoving bowls of food and water at an animal that wants to play, be talked to, cuddled or taken for rides is not going to cut it. You may need to start off with a rock or a bird.

Caring for an animal is such a beautiful thing and you do know that life is so much more  colorful with a pet in it than without. 😀 I hope you have a fabulous week ahead and feel free to share your most hilariously funny pet tales. Until I come your way again, I remain

Periwinkle Starr

Happy- Hump- Day Y’all! I hope your week has been great so far. Its been so much going on but also so busy lately and at this point I wish it was Friday already 😀 We do have Memorial Day coming up so its going to be snooze central in Far North Dallas ha ha! Anyways, I hope the weather is great in your part of the world; a quick shout out to all the Starr readers in Europe, Asia, Africa and the US!!! I am humbled – so much so – that I have to pinch myself each time I look up the Stats and see the different countries representing readers from all over the globe. Just a couple of months back, these posts would have been snippets in my journal or conversations I have with friends or just  thoughts and memories in my head.

Thank you for reading my scribbles, allowing me share my thoughts and my humor, my views, opinions and snippets from my life. There’s so much to come and I intend to ‘blog on the go’ and try to post as often as I can.

If you haven’t already signed up, please do so by clicking the follow icon on the right hand side of your screen to subscribe .

My heart goes out to the victims of the Manchester Attack and their families. May their souls rest in peace 😦 😦

Until I come your way next time, I remain

Periwinkle Starr

Hello All! Hope your week is going really well so far. I will be speaking about something that affects each and everyone of us (myself included) and would welcome your thoughts and comments on it. 🙂 So lets start off with a pop quiz question!

Do you know what the cheapest commodity on the planet is?…And I’m not referring to air because clean air is not even cheap. The cheapest commodity on the planet are “OPINIONS”. And if you stand still long enough, I can bet you there’s someone waiting to dump one on you…because they can. 🙂 ha ha

One of my industry favorites is renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. My fascination with architecture is not so much with bold and complex designs because any artistic individual can draw up the first weird – and often times a tad bit crazy – thing that comes to mind; but how that design is translated into a form with structural integrity…now that is what i call pure genius.

Santiago started out as a young man wanting to be an artist but a series of events led him to architecture school, and then to civil engineering becoming one of the few architects fully trained as an engineer. He has an amazing line up of successful projects over the years; but it wasn’t overnight. He endured many struggles and harsh opinions along the way to become the icon we applaud today. When he was first trying to break into the New York design scene through a showcase which he themed ‘sculpture into architecture’, he is quoted saying ‘ I am not aspiring. I would just like to contribute with a couple of gestures’. It was tough but he was persistent.

When I look in the eyes of little kids, I see dreamers who haven’t become tainted by the opinions and cutting remarks of people, family members, close friends and strangers. As adults, a lot of people have abandoned dreams, ideas and opportunities because someone said it couldn’t be done and had never been done before. A lot of people have been cowered into submission and conformity for so long that they do not know what might have been had they dug their heels in and stayed true to their dreams. The fear of  the backlash that comes with standing up for your dreams and daring to think differently is so strong that a lot of people are content to just tow the line like everyone else.

But guess what guys; as safe and secure that lifestyle might be…realize that we only get one shot at this thing called life and its better to try and fail than to never have tried at all. Its a new year and a new day. Shut out and shut down all and any opinions that are not stretching, challenging or pushing you towards reaching your fullest potential. You are worth it and you owe that much to yourself. 🙂 🙂 So until I come your way again next time, its ciao for now!!

Periwinkle Starr

Hello Y’all,

I hope you had a fab week of feasting and shopping especially now when all diets  should be off or on hold until the first week of January 2017! 😀 This week, I am going to be writing about what I call ‘That Sense of Fashion’. As a lover of fashion and personal style, I try to keep up with the trends albeit from a distance…some trends are amazingly genius while some are downright ‘what were you thinking’ crazy…ha ha!

A lot of times, a love of fashion is misconstrued to equal personal style and I am going to share my thoughts and let you come to your own conclusions. I am an avid watcher of fashion TV and have been for many years now. I do my best to keep up with Paris, Milan, London and New York Fashion week. Now, we all know that a lot of the clothing that’s often times modeled are not exactly items everyday people would wear; from being so beautiful you would have to find a special event to wear it to, to sometimes bordering on bizarre, or for specific body types and being extraordinarily expensive. Then comes personal style…

Personal Style by my definition is a persons likes, taste, judgement, budget and how they want to be perceived summed up into one bold statement. I would like to categorize the art of style or the lack of it into 3 groups that I am going to shed some light on:

The Fashion Junkie: This group of people have to have e-v-e-r-y trending outfit. There isn’t much of the individuals personal style or input; “If it’s in, they want it. If it’s trending, they have to have it”.

The Elegant Stylist: This class of people love fashion just as much but court it on their own terms. They pick and choose creative aspects of fashion and are willing to improvise to attain a desired ensemble.

The No Style What-So-Ever Individual: This group of individuals have given up on ever finding their fashion sense…ever Never fear…it’s not too late.

Personal Style and a Sense of Fashion come with having an artistic eye for detail and a creative imagination. For some, this comes naturally but for others it is something that can be learned if you are willing to put in the work. I am outlining below a few tips that can get you started on developing your very own fashion sense.

Starter Tips for Developing Your Own Fashion Sense 

Honesty: You have to be honest with your body type…right now. Not the body you’re going to have when you finally loose those pounds you’ve been planning to loose for the past five years. Understand that you’re beginning a new phase and you need to know and accept where you are right now; this will serve as a guide to where you want to go moving forward.

Find Someone Whose Fashion Sense You Admire: An icon with a similar body type to you. A person that looks great all the time or someone you trust that has an eye for fashion and a taste for clothes; someone who can tell you the truth in love and help you tweak your wardrobe. For example: I love the late Audrey Hepburn and I have copied images of outfits she’s worn in the past that I absolutely adore. I have images of these outfits saved on my computer for references and inspiration when I go shopping.

Do Not Over Do It: Revamping your personal style and upping your fashion anther does not necessarily mean you have to burn all your clothes either…that would be a little extreme But you need to go through your wardrobe and decide what items you would like to keep and what items you might need to get rid of.

Improvise! Improvise! Improvise!: There is a reason why the word ‘SALE’ is the next best thing since sliced bread (in my book) 😀 ha ha!

Learn the Art of ‘Mixing and Matching’: Have you ever stood in the middle of your closet, that’s filled with clothes (if I might add) and couldn’t find a single thing to wear??? I’ll tell you why – You already have a set idea in your mind on how you pair your clothes and you haven’t given yourself the fluidity to mix and match different items together. You never know what you can create unless you break your routine.

On a final note, there’s  nothing wrong with spending money on expensive clothing and if your job or lifestyle demand it, then go for it. But if you’re not at the Oscars or Met gala every other night, then what good is it to spend a ton of money on an outfit you get to wear 1.5 times in a year. Our fashion sense and personal style determine to an extent how we are perceived and addressed but above all, we must always strive to be confident in who we are as people with a deep awareness that our clothes as fashionably forward as they may be do not define us.

I’ve attached are some pictures from Vogue’s Paris Fashion Week 2016 Fall Collection featuring  some designers I love: Valentino, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Vetements, Louis Vuitton and Maison Margiela. I get to feast my eyes on the creative possibilities out there but also keeping in mind that the majority of these outfits are artworks and not exactly as practical in everyday life.

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Ciao until I come your way next time!

Periwinkle Starr

Hello Y’all

I hope you had a great week! This past Friday 11/18 was the first day it felt like Christmas was finally around the corner. I woke up to a deceptively bright and early sun accompanied by a very cold breeze. Not falling for that ‘sunny view’ from my window though 😀 Having lived in Ohio prior, I cannot tell you how many times I got dressed in the morning based off of that ‘sunny view’ from the window only for me get out the front door and turn back around for a complete change of clothes…the freeze was real! 😦 😦 The lessons learned from those episodes of silliness never leave you. Unfortunately, there were quite a few people lightly dressed today, hunched over and shivering as they literally sprinted to lunch. All that could have been avoided.

The Holidays are here and we all know that after thanksgiving, its literally a race to Christmas and then the New Year.  A time of family, lots of fun, presents and food. A time where all diets are off until the first week of the new year …at least in my world ha ha! 😀

When it comes to Christmas decorating, we all have our likes, personal preferences and family traditions we keep up with or at least try to 😀 Its a time of the year where for some individuals, they just can’t wait to get their hands on some Christmas themed decor. A few others literally look for the path of least resistance; how to pull off a fully decorated home, front yard and a few trees with the least amount of effort. Sound like you?

A friend of mine has a one foot tall Christmas tree where all the decor….and yes I said ‘ALL’ of the Christmas decor in that home goes on that tree. She just cannot be bothered with the stress of bringing out, putting up and taking down all that fluff when she could be spending her time with family doing something else more fun 😀 Another friend has an already decorated tree that comes down from the attic once a year and after the festivities are over, up it goes – back into the attic with a sheet thrown over to keep dust off of it. Imagine having ALL of your Christmas decor done in ten minutes or less!

On the other hand…some of my friends were ‘born’ to decorate. I kid you not. Their inspiration especially during the holidays go into something bordering between ‘amazing to a tad bit overwhelming’ to the ordinary simpleton; turning out homes so beautiful and intricately decorated you would almost believe they had some imaginary help from a couple of Santa’s elves to pull off (on one particular occasion) decorating three Christmas trees, a 2 story house and the front yard.

I am reminded of a trip to Brunswick, OH a few years ago where we drove by one of the most beautifully decorated neighborhoods I have ever seen just before Christmas. The neighbors take those competitions very seriously from what i learned and what exactly do they win? – Bragging rights for having the most beautifully decorated house for the next twelve months I think I’ll pass on that please 😀 😀

But as fun as this all is, the end of the year is a time for taking stock. It’s a time to ask yourself questions like: How much you’ve grown, what you did right and what you need to improve on. It’s also a time to plan and be strategic for the New year. To aim as high as you possibly can so that you’re still within a successful range in spite of life events that we have no control over.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday and let me know what tactics you use to get through decorating this season – for the carefree among us; and for the amazingly creative readers please share what tips work best for you.

Ciao until next time!!

Periwinkle Starr

The past few days have shaken up the American people and the world at large. There is so much uncertainty right now more than ever before; with the protests in response to the election results becoming more aggressive along with an escalating rise in hate crimes.

I always thought that we as a nation were past this but apparently we aren’t. Racism and prejudice has been here all along, simmering beneath the surface waiting for someone who was boisterous enough to call out what people were thinking but had no courage to say or act upon.

As skeptical as i was of both parties throughout the campaign, I have never been as appalled as I was to witness an avalanche of careless statements, racist rants, discriminatory remarks targeted at minorities, women and other faith religious groups from the republican candidate. It was almost otherworldly, I could not believe what I was hearing or the picture that kind of behavior painted to the world as a representation of the party. On the other hand; I felt that the democratic party as wonderful as they had performed as a whole, didn’t really have anything new to offer. It was going to be tweaks to the old plan that on many fronts hadn’t worked for many individuals over the last 4 years.

In life, its easy to throw stones. Its even easier to critic people and give all sorts of remarks and opinions UNTIL we find ourselves in a similar situation. So lets wait and see what would come of the next 4 years under a new governing party.

No matter what happens, we must never forget that we are first and foremost ‘human beings’. Irrespective of race and or ethnicity. We must realize that we all face the same daily struggles and are not immune to the feelings that govern the rest of mankind.

If you hate an individual or certain ethnic groups just because of their race (which they had nothing to do with), then that says something about you as a person. If you are genuinely happy, healthy and living a productive life or if you have some things going for you or you’re working towards your goals, dreams and life ambition or if you love yourself and are appreciative of the life you have no matter how perfect or imperfect it may be; you would not have the time of day to spend hating or harboring any ill towards anyone because you’re too preoccupied being your awesome self. That’s food for thought.

No one knows what the way forward is or what the future holds for this country but it is sometimes said that it often gets worse before it gets better and our only hope is to be the change we want to see in others.

Ciao until next time!

Periwinkle Starr

Happy Halloween Y’all!

I trust you all had a fun weekend and for all the others who managed to get through all the events that make Halloween what it is; thank God its over! This year has been so hilarious with all the happenings in pop culture and politics; it would be difficult to not have costume ideas. I had the pleasure of participating in the North Texas ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ Walk this past weekend and I kid you not, I was walking alongside Donald Trump, The Mad Hatter from Alice not too far behind and Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad around somewhere :)….just to name a few, it was so much fun!! 🙂

In this post I want to talk about sprucing up your space – whether its your home, apartment or office cubicle; you name it, I’ve got you covered!

Decorating a space can be likened to telling a story about who you are and what you love. It reflects your taste, personal style and mindset. Decorating a space can sometimes be so intimidating that a few of us NEVER-GET-STARTED. We fear that its just too much of a hassle, or the fact that we go through different phases or seasons where our likes change so randomly that we feel there isn’t  a need to decorate because come a few months down the line, we would loath ‘that huge iron bird sitting on the mantle over the fire place we thought was so cool and eclectic’….ahem <coughs> 🙂 that was me not too long ago…ha ha! 😀 😀

I have a few questions that can help you get started. Lets start at the top of the list:

• What is Your Budget? How much are you willing to spend? And I’m referring to situations where your’re decorating an apartment you intend to live in for a few years as opposed to a home that comes with a longer time line.

• What is Your Space Like? Do you have a lot of space that looks empty and bare no matter what you do and want a smaller and more cozy feel to it?

• What is the Existing Color Scheme of The Space? For example, If you have cream painted walls and  a cream colored carpet as most rental apartments; and you’re not willing to repaint the whole space, you can opt for darker toned furniture for better contrast.

• What Style Best Describes You? Are you a lover of all things ‘comfy and chintz’ or do you like a more contemporary upwardly mobile look to your space? There are so many styles but everyone has a dominant style expression.

• Less is More. There is a fine line between a well decorated space and clutter. You do not need one of every shade of pottery or ten different paintings hanging on your wall just because your grandparents unloaded their house. There’s a show for that and its called ‘Hoarders’ 🙂 Don’t be afraid to sell or give away things you’re not using or don’t have any use for.

We only live once guys so why not feel great about the space you’re in right now instead of waiting till your dreams come through (and they will)! These are a few pictures of some pieces that brighten up my space. Let me know your thoughts and what has worked for you so far.

Ciao until next time!

Periwinkle Starr