Flora with Honey Bee

Flora, the Goddess of Flowers unknowingly has attracted our Honey Bee.

See this masterpiece of pastoral abundance here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primavera_(painting)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Our flagship Los Olivos Boutique turns 3..

We love the way back journeys, and here’s another.  The “Before and After” story of our Waxing Poetic Boutique in Los Olivos, California (which experienced some major TLC before we opened our doors to the public in  April 2010... read on!). It is every artist’s challenge, and dream: a blank canvas.  For us, this space was it.  A challenge and the most fun we have ever had (until we designed store #2 in Summerland!).  The interior of the boutique consists of a mix of custom woodwork and fixtures that were crafted from locally milled and carved Santa Ynez walnut, Italian artifacts, warm antiques, and lively “frescoupage” wall panels.   The “antiqued-up” décor and friend-crafted interior is a physical manifestation of  imaginative artistry and unique craftsmanship of our jewelry.  Check out the Before and Afters… The Main Floor: We paid homage to Patti’s familial and design roots and created an Italian inspired interior, combining the brand palette of mixed metals with the classical palette of oil paintings and old frescoes to come up with  the color scheme. Local artisan crafted fixtures, industrial antiques, old book, & letters, Italian artifacts and some of Patti’s personal objects were combined to bring Waxing Poetic into the space.

The Main Wall:The one main wall in the store was the perfect place for this large antique Italian armoire.  The back of the armoire was upholstered with a hand-blocked linen remnant from Raoul Textiles.  Custom jewelry stands were assembled from a mix of hand-carved walnut and antique corbels and decorative Italian architectural remnants.  Antique pig skin books and vintage objects create niche displays.  Ephemera from Patti’s collection are tacked to the fabric back, along with the story of the brand’s beginnings. Bay Window Nook: “Frescoupage” walls were hand cut and installed on location by designer Stephanie Kheder.  The coffered trim on the panels was milled locally, again from reclaimed walnut wood.  We used 18th century Italian artifacts to create one of a kind mini shelves upon which to perch the jewelry.  The center fixture is a repurposed steel water fountain.  Hand carved local wood sills disguise the plain “contractor” grade windows.  Hand carved cornices with hand-gilt logo shields and metal colored striped scalloped curtains create a warm boutique vibe. Fireplace: The existing fireplace just didn’t work style or color-wise, so it was replaced with custom cut 6 x 12″ (12″ x 12″ tiles cut in half) tiles that were laid in a sleep custom floor-to-ceiling herringbone pattern.  The hearth was also removed so the tile could continue seamlessly to the floor, allowing room for the large display armoire.  The mantle is a piece of old Italian wood trim, customized with hand cut arch detail, upon which a blown up model shot rests.  Bronze library swing-arm lamps, re-upholstered, velvety tufted slipper chairs and an antique Italian hand-painted pedestal create a cozy seating area. Cash Wrap Area: Our cash wrap was custom made to fit the interior by Erich Riedl.  He used mis-matched 18th century Italian wood griffin feet as the base of the piece and created the rest to match, using cool burning LED lights that create a “float” effect.  The mirror was cut to spec and hand-distressed to burn in our logo in a very subtle way.  A small gold Italian regency chandelier from the owner’s childhood home personalizes the space.  Walls are Benjamin Moore “Champion Blue,” one of Waxing Poetic’s signature packaging colors. Chandelier/Ceiling: The chandelier is a reproduction set piece that was found at a local consignment store, re-gilded by Patti, and fitted with silicone-tipped bulbs to create a candle effect.  Looking over the store and blessing it is an 18th century oil painting of the Virgin Mary, from which much of the interior’s classical palette was pulled.  The walls are painted a warm stone color, to bring in more of the brand’s colors and tone down the wood ceiling. So, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY and thanks for the memories!  We heavily-heart Los Olivos (and if this post goes up before May 5… come join our Cinco de Mayo party…  here’s your  invitation)

Waxing Poetic Heroines: Venus

Venus

, beautiful Venus, Roman goddess of Love and Beauty. She shows up everywhere,the best paintings , in the most beautiful poetry, in our favorite myths. She appears in different forms, under different names (the Greeks called her Aphrodite), and in sometimes different costumes, and she’s far from perfect as a character – but what she IS, or IS while and when we believe or tell each other old myths and stories, IS something, someone, utterly enchanting: a human-looking, love-generating, awe-inspiring immortal embodiment of all the things which keep us going forward: LOVE, FERTILITY, VICTORY, TRANSCENDENCE, BEAUTY, REGENERATION (see also SPRINGTIME!!!), PROSPERITY, RENEWAL, WONDER OUT OF NOTHING BUT THE POSSIBILITY OF WONDER, BEAUTY and a particular kind of GRACE.

And so we’d like to say this: LOOK AT BOTTICELLI’s wondrous depiction of her magical ‘birth’ – fully formed, prosperous, beautiful, and floating in on enchanted seafoam in a lovely scalloped shell.

She is both easily accessible and elusive in all her stories. She blesses the rich and poor alike. She helps warriors win just battles, and lends her wondrous, life-affirming aura to all manner of people and situations (so long as they give love back and around those nearby). She forgives slights and helps transform the world for people she formerly feared or felt threatened by. Oh? Yes.

Venus’ son, you see, is the Roman god Cupid, aka Eros. He fell in love with a mortal beauty, Psyche, and she with him—but Venus put some very strict rules on their romance, and Psyche wasn’t allowed to see her husband. She peeked anyway. She broke the rules, and was cast out – but not for long. Venus was willing to be proven wrong, in a way, perhaps her daughter-in-law wasn’t only after her beautiful, immortal son for the chance to become immortal herself, and…after a fair amount of trials (and a lot of help from animals and magic creatures), Psyche proved herself deserving in Venus’ opinion: she had been doing everything out of, and for, and because of, and because she wanted to give back some more…

LOVE.

And so all was forgiven and changed and healed and Eros + Psyche had a beautiful little child which they named PLEASURE, and all of it happened because of LOVE.

Venus is a creature of myth, some might say fiction, but she is also entirely real in so much that she’s the sum of all our best wishes and most poignant heart-ward journeys.

WALKING THE TALK

With style and grace. Meeting Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia

Patagonia’s commitment to the environment and trailblazing efforts in the realm of corporate responsibility and citizenship is well-known, and its founder (dare I say dreamer) is as inspiring and humble as we thought he’d be.

We had the pleasure of experiencing Yvon Chouinard one-on-one at the Santa Barbara based non-profit Channel Keeper’s 13th Annual “Blue Water Ball” this year, where tribute was paid to Patagonia (located in neighboring Ventura, CA). What an amazing man.

Yvon didn’t talk “business” once. He spoke softly about the groundbreaking notion of taxing himself for living on this planet. He said that to ensure Patagonia’s mission is carried out, each employee must have a commitment to our incredible planet and a volunteering attitude (they receive over 900+ applicants for each job opening, a testament to what a great place it must be to work. They also allow employees to take a leave of absence to serve non-profits). Words like “quality,” “transparency,” and “impact” were honestly spoken to a room full of admirers. It is hard to name any one single individual who has done more than Yvon to support sustainability in business. Although there are many authors writing “the book” on this issue, he is a major contributor and leader in the effort. For that reason he has been called on by industry titans like Walmart, Nike and the Gap to advise them on how to better manage their businesses sustainably.

And we think about our own work: John’s company Trikke continues to move forward in the green transportation arena, developing and selling their electric vehicles as clean transportation alternatives, and we at Waxing Poetic are busy recycling silver, using the plaster from our molds to improve the local streets near our factory, and supporting our workers’ communities. We are inspired to do even more through our businesses in the days and years to come. Yvon encourages this possibility, this duty, and we deeply admire and respect this company and all they have modeled for us to follow.

Delighted States of America!

America is a patchwork, a paragon of piecemeal personal narratives and particular details…and a place for everyone (and everyone in his/her place, yes? Yes indeed)… But as for how it all adds up… we were at a loss. Or a little bit of a loss. So we asked you (and you, and you, and you, and our friends, and our families, and our obscure distant but still loved associates elsewhere…) and you answered the question: what makes a state a place, a home? You answered. Bits and scraps, something redolent of home… all the little pieces added up, together and for you and for all of us and… we piece it together, together, and beautifully, and with music, and love, and pieces of poetry. This is how we make sense of the world, and how we make the world, and how, in turn, we make… a nation. A quilt. A chorus. A great love. Let’s do this. Let’s revel. 

The Pelican Inn

A short flight up the coast, hundreds of years ago

Having cause to find a place to stay on short notice is not entirely bad. And being led to The Pelican Inn in Muir Beach by a love of charming places was entirely good.  A replica of a 16^th century Tudor inn, the Pelican is something to experience.

Cozy.  Ales.  Cozy.  Bangers. Cozy. Mash.  Like that.

You get lost in the crookedness and curves and charm and details, and love that went into this place.  You stay up late with the staff and other guests tasting wine and playing darts.  You wish to stay suspended in time. Only seven rooms, each kept by a metal key.Not-so-square doors (duck if you are tall).  And: if you stay in room 7, a secret stairway to the “Snug” (a private room with fireplace, where, back in the day, women who drank used to hide and imbibe). The mantel in the dark pub dining room is engraved with FEAR KNOCKED AT THE DOOR, FAITH ANSWERED ~ NO ONE WAS THERE. Write your initials here, over the thick tapestried canopied bed.Rooster courage greets and sees you off. Metal piece honoring Sir Francis Drake, who beached his ship nearby… way back then. The Tudor bar, with date carved in, adds authenticity.

NOTA BENE HEROINES: SNOW WHITE

Snow White

is WAY more than just a pretty girl in a old children’s story. She’s a character, and like any good (or bad) character, she changes every time someone tells the story. And how awesome is that? To rewrite or retell something familiar, to either wake up because you loved your mom so much when she was alive and you miss her terribly and somehow that love manifests itself outside of time and intervenes in a very dangerous sleepy state to save you – or, that being kissed was so nice while you were asleep/faux-dead that you HAD to wake up and see who was doing it and in doing so, saved yourself, or….all kinds of other endings.

Nota Bene Heroines: Lakey Peterson

Waxing Poetic loves a heroine. Sometimes she is out of a storybook or a historical figure, and sometimes, to our delight, she is of our modern day (and close by!).

A brave heart, and gracious spirit, our neighbor and friend Lakey Peterson is a heroine to all young athletes and an inspiration for everyone to give (and give your best). Amongst so many great achievements, Lakey is the 2012 ASP World Tour US Open of Surfing Champion, and her journey has recently been made into a movie, ZEROTO100 (premiering this Sunday at the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara, Ca.)

A humanitarian and conservationist in her community and beyond, Lakey is an advocate for several worthy charities and is constantly doing her part: breaking boundaries, making a difference, and chasing her dream.

If you would like to help Lakey Peterson support the following charities, please follow the links below:

H4O (Hands4Others)
Clean Water Tour
Pray For Daisy

Waxing Poetic Celebrates the Holidays, in the “Italian Alps” 2012

Imagine, being snowed in, somewhere remote, in a lodge, with many characters and they all have a story to tell about how they arrived here, this cold and blustery night.

We shared our worldly tales, and a bountiful Italian Spread. The evening was filled with laughter, joy and the holiday spirit. We have so much to feel blessed about this 2012 and looking forward to a fabulous 2013!