Valentina

Slimming With Skinny Jeans | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

21 Mar 2014 4 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #ColoredSkinnyJeans, #OldNavySkinnyJeans, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #SkinnyJeans, #SpringFashion, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns

Women like skinny jeans, we look good and slim in them. I hope they will be here for a long time.
Can everyone wear them? With a bit of “savoir-faire” everyone can wear them.

Skinny jeans are perfect for the office. Choose a dark color that will give you crisp look, but nothing distressed that will give you a look of sloppiness. Choose jewel tones, blue dark green, or black to wear with a tailored blazer. If you have curves, especially around the hip, choose to wear a longer blazer, a trench coat, or an asymmetric sweater to cover the hip and make you look really sharp.

(Good Length) – (Photo: Polyvore)

Black skinny jeans are for any occasion, from morning shopping at leisure to the office, to a night out, or weekends. The skinny jeans have nothing really special, other than being slimming but the secret is in the hem, which should touch your ankle bone and not being bunched up in that area. Having the skinny jeans hemmed up properly will elongate the figure and then wearing the right shoes will give you that look of “casual finesse”.

(Sloppy) – (Photos found on VanityFair.it)

Hide the parts of the body that are a bit strong and emphasize the beauty or the best parts. If the legs are plump and the derrière full get a larger size skinny jeans and wear them with a tunic, oversize shirt or a longer jacket. Color skinny jeans are also very fun. Old Navy Rockstar Jeans has many colors to choose from.

(Absolutely Not) – (Photo found on http://imageresize.club)

However, the rule applies as always: bright colors on large hips will make them seem larger. Ciao,

Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, working in the USA and Europe. Born in Italy and in a family of artists, style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in each specialization and now she can remodel both home and personal images. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Inside | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

17 Mar 2014 2 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #CrepeCafé, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #SanFranciscoCrepeCafé, #SanFranciscoTravel, Inside, WordPress Weekly Challenge: Inside

Have you ever tried to see the world in a different direction, upside down or side way? Inside of a room we see our world from the ground up, but what happens if you stand on a table and look at the world from the ceiling down? The perspective will change and so will your horizon.
Last summer, my teenage nephew visiting from Italy and I went to a crêpe café in the city. He had never seen a shop like that before where the crepes are made in front of the customers with their favorite ingredients. The aroma inside of the shop coming from different iron cooking plates was sweet and the waiting was a torture.

While my nephew was watching intrigued by the ability of the people filling and churning the crepes every 3 minutes, I looked up and I saw the customers projected on the reflective ceiling.

There you go, my world in that moment was upside down inside of a crêpe shop and minutes later was inside of a sublime crêpe, poetry for the mouth. Carpe diem! The small pleasures in life are unforgettable, mine came inside of a triangle of small delights. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Thank you for stopping by and reading my feature today. I hope through my blog posts to bring some entertainment and some insights in my busy life, my cooking and everything else I do. Even with my limited time off, I still like to have fun.
Check out my books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0

Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

New French Style | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

14 Mar 2014 10 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #BillCunningham, #FrenchFashion, #ParisFashionWeek, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #TheNewYorkTimes

I love to watch Bill Cunningham’s short videos, he is a fashion photographer/reporter for the New York Times. He gets us inside the fashion industry and in 2 or 3 minutes he reveals a world of secrets.
During the last fashion week in Paris, he noticed there was an explosion of colors and expressions of diversity among the guests going to the fashion shows, even among people coming from countries where freedom of expression is repressed.

In his 60+ years of going to the Paris Fashion Week, Bill Cunningham has noticed a change in the way French women dress today. They had been known as stylish women, who didn’t go to extremes to be noticed. The adoption of simple lines, conservative style and attention to details is what made French women stylish. Apparently, it is no longer that way, French women are showing a little more freedom in the dress choice, adventure with the combination of odd colors and an unusual extravagance by wearing an evening gown in the daytime. Wow! So, if they get so highly decorated during the day, what do they wear when they go to an important evening event?

Perhaps, this is possible just during the Fashion Week and this is possible because it is Paris, but I don’t really think French women go the buy grocery at the street market, or taking kids to school dressed in evening gowns.

This expression of elegance in the daytime would not be possible in California for sure. California is the land of freedom of expressions in any sense and a very loose region in any sense. Friday is called “casual Friday”. Gosh, I have the impression of dealing with a bunch of people that just came out of the gym or their bed. Banks and stores are full of employees badly dressed and that looseness affects their manners as well.
Feeling good in well-made, stylish clothes pushes the wearers to have elegant manners, the two things are related, I have no doubt about this. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, working in the USA and Europe. Born in Italy and in a family of artists, style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations. Valentina offers design consultation online through Skype line and in person. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

I Saw A Zebra At The Bar | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

12 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #DebbieBakker, #GameRoom, #KidsRoom, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns, #WallArt, Illustrations

How would you like to go to someone’s house and see a zebra comfortably standing at the bar having a happy beer in the game room?

I loved this image when I saw it at the art gallery I visited last weekend. I thought the zebra in cowboy clothes is an amusing creature and it would be an interesting décor for a boy’s room. To tell you the truth, I would like to have it as a mural on one of my walls in the kitchen.

Not knowing if the artist Debbie Bakker at http://www.debbiebakker.com produces murals I was prompted to call her and found out. We had a nice conversation over the phone during which she told me a bit about herself and how she decided to become an illustrator.

Her latest achievement was to study art at the Academy of Arts in San Francisco, where she had to decide what kind of art field she wanted to land in. Being interested in children books, she decided to become an illustrator. One of her first illustrations was a dinosaur, which one of her sons wished to have when he was young. Pushed by her husband, her children and the beauty of her illustrations, Debbie decided to reproduce her dinosaurs on wall plates and t-shirts that now she sells on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/DebbieBakkerArt Pretty soon Debbie Bakker will produce posters and perhaps after my suggestions even murals.

Pen, ink and watercolors make her illustrations. http://www.debbiebakker.com/illustrations.html
Debbie’s illustrations struck me as kid’s rooms décor. Other than the usual cars, planes and boats for boys, flowers, butterflies and shoes for girls, there is not much on the market for kids’ rooms. I am always on the look out for new ideas and adventures, I am sure if I brought in one of these pictures, any kids would love it on the walls of their room.

Later, taking a better look of her illustrations, I thought there are plenty “young at heart” like me, who like to play with their décor, those people who like to have a house with character, without following any rules, a house not made with cookie cutters that doesn’t resemble everybody’s style. How about the man’s cave as it is called, a billiard room, or a music room illustrated with these life-size animals with human attitude? I can almost hear them gossiping about us humans.

Let me be your chosen designer who can put star-dust in your décor. I can help you with any style. Your comment is appreciated and I will answer you within 24 hours. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola, is the principal designer and owner of Valentina Interiors & Designs. She is a trained designer and has been in business since 1990. She works all over the world via Skype line and in the traditional in- home consultations producing concepts for remodeling, restoration of historical dwelling, upgrading, décor restyling and home fashion. Vogue magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’s work. She has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15 and interviewed on various Blog Talk Radios. Author of three books all-available on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

The Energy Of Your Home | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

08 Mar 2014 4 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #ColorBlack, #HomeEnergy, #HomeOrganization, #ImageConsulting, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #VintagePosters

For some reason an episode that happened in my career a few years ago came to my mind yesterday while I was talking in my monthly radio show. I started to talk about how I helped a client in many aspects of his life just by changing colors. The memory was sweet.

Mark (a given name to disguise his identity), a very nice chap, professional, single and always dressed in black needed a facelift in some parts of his home. He was a neat guy, everything was in its right place, but the energy of the house was not right. In one of our thinking moments, you know, coffee, ideas and notes, he confided that something was missing in his life: a steady woman. I don’t discuss private issues with clients, not unless they start first and if they do, I am always ready to listen, it makes my business a little more human.

seated young woman Pierre-Auguste Renoir

farewell at night Georges Barbier

He confided to be ready for a long-lasting relationship and perhaps marriage. During our conversations, my eyes shifted often on the pictures on the walls, all representing women with their back to the viewers. What is wrong with this? Nothing at all, especially when the paintings are famous and you are not looking for the real woman to settle down with. In the case of my client, the women in his paintings showed their beautiful backs, but the faces were totally hidden, there was no eye connection between him and the women. It was as if they refused his energy to be part of their life, in a figurative way.

I asked him if he was emotionally attached to those paintings and if he was opposed to change them. I suggested shifting the energy by temporarily hanging some pictures of happy looking women smiling, showing their lips, theirs eyes and the full figures in plain front view, perhaps colorful vintage pin-up girls that would bring cheerfulness in his home. We did that and put away the beautiful women’s backs at least for the time being. Looking at new smiling pin-up women everyday was like calling them into his life.

Then we proceeded to change the flow of the home, rearranged furniture, substituted old tired pieces with new ones, added some fresh accessories, new wall colors and real plants that didn’t need much care. The magic happened in his wardrobe. He didn’t know I could create personal images too, or that it is part of my services. For Mark a black shirt was easy to match with a black pants and black shoes, thus easy to get dressed in the morning.

Black is the color that blocks the light and the positive or negative energy from other people. He had the answer to his problems when he heard me speaking these words. In fact he recalled episodes at his work of people being not too friendly with him and keeping away from him. Often he was not invited to social functions because people thought he was single and too busy with different women, in reality the black of his clothes prevented people to get closer to him. In a way the color black made him look too sophisticated or in the eyes of some he was “callus” and not approachable.

The obvious solution to me was to give some colors to his wardrobe and as soon as he started to come out with striped shirts, some prints, elegant solid colors with funky ties and different colors shoes to match with different color pants, his face picked up a new light, a king of positive aura and a new energy. He looked healthier and happier, people started to get closer to him because the changes opened up a friendly path, people felt invited and so did the woman of his life. Six months after this major change, the right woman appeared and they got married. That was his goal and my goal was to create a positive energy in the house and around his image.

Many people treat a home just like an investment without caring much of the content and cleanliness. Often I go into dirty and untidy homes, where I could write the story of my life on the dust of their furniture and where I can smell the fish or the bacon cooked many days before. A home has a soul and not just your soul, the walls and the upholstery breathe all the smells of the house, from perfume to fried food. Dirty windows will block the positive energy from coming in. Organized closets and drawers will help you simplify any chores. The colors of your home will depress you or make you happy, they are that powerful and the right lighting…..will illuminate you! Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer working in the USA and Europe since 1990. Often people describe her as “the colorist” as she loves to color her clients’ world and loves to create the unusual. “Vogue” magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’s work. She also has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15. Author of three published books, the latest ©RED – A Voyage Into Colors is on the subject of colors.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Welcome Colors | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer

05 Mar 2014 8 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #FallColorSchemes, #HarmonizingColors, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #WarmColorPalette

During the cold months when everything is covered in white in all tints and tones I was thinking of putting some colors in my wishes. There are are in fact many flavors around me and each has its own color and texture. (Click on the photo to see it larger).

Playing in my box of buttons, in my trunk of yarn and with my colorful hand-painted ceramics, I was calling a new client with a love for colors and so it happened. One day I received a private message on Facebook from a person I didn’t know who was asking questions about my on-line design consultations. She had followed me for a while without my knowledge. We connected on Skype and like magic it happened.

Doing a heavy lifting in the house is easy when people know how to coordinate the big items with all the small details, otherwise it could be overwhelming. I was called to restore the harmony of the house with warm colors and to reproduce the client’s summer-fall season of her skin.

She likes Opera, but has never been to an Opera House to watch an opera live. Just like in my wishes I called a person with the love of colors, I thought perhaps if I add an opera libretto in my color palette will take her closer to the opera and make her wish come true. It’s really true whatever you manifest will happen. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola is an Italian Interior Designer working in the USA and Europe since 1990. Often people describe her as “the colorist” as she loves to color her clients’ world and loves to create the unusual. “Vogue” magazine and many prominent publications in California featured Valentina’s work. She also has made four appearances on T.V. Comcast Channel 15.
Author of three published books, the latest ©RED – A Voyage Into Colors is on the subject of colors.
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Oscar Night Party | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

02 Mar 2014 7 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #Oscar2014, #OscarFashion, #OscarParty, #RedVoyageIntoColors

“Let’s get dressed up, bring a dish to share and let’s watch the Oscar”.
This was a common invitation to receive every year from one of my friends to watch the Oscar nominations on T.V. in her home. She is a huge fan of films and entertainment.

On the day the Oscar would play on T.V., the host of the party would roll out a red carpet outside her home entry as wide as her pathway. Her neighbors knew she was a lively person by the way she externalized her emotions. The Oscar to her was a big celebration, perhaps in another life, she had been an actress and felt a tight connection to Hollywood in this life.

The idea was to feel the heat as if we had been invited to real Oscar. On that day we went to the motion of taking super care of our appearance, we spent time to the beauty parlor, hair, nails, and make-up and we spent weeks to shop for the right dress, because at the end of the evening show on T.V. one of us among the girlfriends invited was going to win a prize for best-dressed woman. Hence it was important to play the part right and to get dressed up to the teeth.

By 5:00 pm we walked on that red carpet, not in Hollywood but in an upscale neighborhood, where we made our own public display and the neighbors had the chance to scrutinize us as if we were the stars before the show. Some women even came in a limousine, just to play the part right.

We networked in the dining room before the show to catch up with each other or meet new people, we prepared food, drink and made a mess. A soon as the show started we sat in the living room and followed the nominations marking our choices on a piece of paper. The person who had all the answers right would win a prize: a bottle of wine, a gift certificate to a shop, one hour of massage in a spa, in other words, a useful gift.

We felt glamorous in our little play and it was a way to break the routine while enjoying a common activity like watching T.V.

Five years ago the economy changed the life of a lot of people. Some of those girlfriends moved away, some lost their jobs, some got a divorce and some found a new love. The Oscar party is now a happy memory. I might just start my own!

It would be interesting tonight to see faux pas and elegance walking together on the same red carpet. I think Philomena with Judi Dench will win the Oscar. What do you think? Ciao,

Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Being born in an Italian family of artists and designers, style has surrounded my life since a young age. I do offer consultations on personal image. I am the author of three books. Get your copy of my book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Mardi Gras Gluttony | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

23 Feb 2014 4 Comments

by Valentina in The Good Life Tags: #CarnevaleFood, #ItalianCarnevale, #ItalianCarnevaleFood, #MardiGrasFood, #RedVoyageIntoColors, Panzerotti

Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday is the fattest day of the year that closes all the debauchery of Carnevale and precedes Lent, a time of reflection and repentance. Well, at least is good to know that after Carnevale’s excess eating, we have a second chance to return to normality and ask for forgiveness.

(Photo above: Cristina Cirasola)

What’s boiling in the caldron of gluttony? In the South of Italy, a much sought-after food for Mardi Gras is “Panzerotti” a type of pocket dough filled with anything caloric. Making panzerotti is not that difficult, the dough is the same as pizza, the filling varies. The traditional collection of panzerotti is composed of:

• Ground beef, tomatoes and mozzarella
• Four cheeses and basil leaves
• Anchovies, olives, capers and tomatoes
• Spinach, boil eggs and cheese
• Mushrooms, tomatoes and mozzarella
•Mixed cold cuts, mozzarella and tomatoes
• Mixed vegetables and ricotta
• And many more.

Get creative, but stay within the savory flavors. This is not a sweet pocket for dessert.

Panzerotti must be served hot out of the fryer, it must scald the roof of the mouth and the hands. Only then the cheeses will fuse the ingredients together and the mozzarella will string out a yard away from the mouth, transporting you in the paradise of flavors. Now, I am really talking like a glutton and yes I do enjoy being sinful.

The same thing can be done with bread dough like the picture above. In fact these two loafs of bread are stuffed with mixed cubed cold cuts, hard-boiled eggs, spinach and various cheeses.

(Photo Pacific Art League)

March 4th is the last day to indulge on fatty food and a lot of meat. On Ash Wednesday, I will start Lent, as I do every year. For forty days until Easter, I will not eat meat and this year I decided to stay away from bread as well for the entire time. This is my promise to my Supreme Being to embrace some difficulties, not eating bread for me is very hard and to be thankful for my life. This is one promise I will never break.
Are you doing something special for Mardi Gras? Dressing up in costume is appropriate. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Valentina Cirasola has been in business as an interior designer since 1990 improving people’s life by changing their spaces. Most often she designs kitchens and wine grottos; outdoor kitchens and outdoor rooms; great rooms and entertainment rooms. Her deep interest in food led her as an autodidact in the studies of food in history, natural remedies, nutrition and well-being. Finally she wrote two books on Italian regional cuisine and one book on color theory. Get your copy of Valentina’s books on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Home Designs Master Has A New Home | Valentina Cirasola | Author and Designer

22 Feb 2014 6 Comments

by Valentina in Home Designs Master Tags: #BlogMigrating, #BlogMoving, #homeDesignsMaster, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #ValentinaInteriorsDesigns

WELCOME TO MY NEW HOME

Do you recognize the icon at the top? It was Home Designs Master’s old home by me Valentina Cirasola, Interior-Fashion Designer until mid-February 2014. I moved the design blog into a new site. Here you will find many items grouped together, such as my three books, my organized trips to Italy and more stuff. In the same site you can enjoy my three blog columns as well:
Home Designs Master, The Good Life, and Friday Fashion.

I asked WordPress Angels to help me migrate the blog from one site to the other. The process was seamless, but unfortunately, all the Likes and Comments I received in four years of blogging are lost, the WP Angels told me the comments wouldn’t line up with the blog they were written for. It seems as for four years I wrote to the walls, it looks very lonely, but that’s the way it is, moving to a new home takes a few adjustments. All of you followers and readers have migrated too with the blogs, I am sure I will see your blogs coming in my email notification, but I do need your help in getting back all the Likes and Comments on any of my blogs as a real person and not a robot. The blog awards I received through the years are still there on a new page called Blog Awards Collection and I thank everybody gratefully for awarding my blogs so many times.

I am moving my design career to a new height and new experiences, thus I wanted my readers to find all my activities under one same roof. Looking forward to interacting with all of you again. In the meantime enjoy a well presented and inviting garden. The champagne is chilling in the bucket, just sit and enjoy a relaxing time. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Bari – Teatro Margherita

This is my 24th year in the design business and I am not showing signs of wanting to quit. I will be evolving in different directions, while still helping people realizing their dream spaces in homes, offices, interiors, exteriors and improving their personal images.
Check out my books on this site and on
Amazon: http://goo.gl/xUZfk0
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w

Valentino Red | Valentina Cirasola | Designer

21 Feb 2014 2 Comments

by Valentina in Friday Fashion Tags: #REDColor, #RedFashion, #RedOutfits, #RedVoyageIntoColors, #ValentinoRed

I am tired of seeing pictures of snow up to my eyeballs, people living in the snow with all the difficulties, ice sickles hanging on windows and fields covered in white. White is not my favorite color, I am in the mood for red!
In my Friday Fashion, I am putting Valentino Red in the spotlight.

Red is a color of action, the color of love, passion, romance, and lust. Wearing red visually will add some pounds to the woman figure and unless you are a slender teenager, when youth overpowers any colors, you should wear a light girdle underneath a red dress.
Wearing red on Valentine’s Day evokes a sense of urgency: Love Me.
I hope you were the cupid this past Valentine’s Day.

In the ruins of the ancient city of Pompei, we can still admire people immortalized in love-making in their red dining room and red bedroom. Ancient Pompeian knew red was the color to boost their fantasy and to help or clear the block in the red chakra (in the sex area of the body).

I have put together some ideas for dressing in RED sparingly.
If you are going to the office I envision a youthful outfit of pleated skirt with tulle trim, beige polka dots shirt, accessorized with a red Furla tote bag, a red ruffled umbrella just in case it rains and a red bow iPad case.

Pleated Jersey Skirt with Tulle Trim- Found on: https://www.gilt.com/brand/red-valentino

Furla-Gemini Medium Shopper Tote

Ruffled red umbrella- Found on: https://www.zulily.com/e/zulily-debut-leighton-244583.html

Bow iPad Case

If you are going out in the evening with your love, wear a pencil black dress, don’t forget the stockings please, they are so sexy! Accessorize it with red shoes, a cute trousse with a red bow. I think is chic to wear a black-red umbrella whether it rains or not after all is still February.

: Stretch Twill Flutter Sleeve -Maggy London illusion dress

: Black and Red Umbrella-Found on Paula Moss Via Pinterest

: Raffia Net Convertible Bow Clutch-http://us.asos.com/women/bags-purses

If you are going to have fun with girlfriends I suggest this lovely godet mini skirt, red turtleneck with puffy short sleeves, a rope belt if needed, a tote bag with a red bow and a leopard umbrella.

Wool Turtleneck Top

Rope Bow Belt

Large Straw Bow Tote

Leopard Umbrella-Found on Paula Moss Via Pinterest

(Umbrellas from My Habit)

(Jean-Paul Gaultier Vintage Hunting Style)

A red jacket comes handy in many situations and with any ensemble, I would keep it as the bone of the wardrobe.
Did you strike your cupid arrow this past Valentine’s day? Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services#fashion-services

Valentina Cirasola is a trained Fashion and Interior Designer, working in the USA and Europe. Born in Italy and in a family of artists, style surrounded her since the beginning of her life. Her many years of experience led her to offer consultations in both specializations. She is the author of three books. Get your copy of Valentina’s book on colors: ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors on

Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
Barnes&Nobles: http://goo.gl/q7dQ3w